


Sonic Forces Redux

by Maporapo



Category: Sonic the Hedgehog (Video Games)
Genre: Fix-It, In Character, Novelization, POV Third Person, Present Tense, References to Canon, fixfic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-24
Updated: 2018-04-29
Packaged: 2019-02-06 05:25:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 25,931
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12810576
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Maporapo/pseuds/Maporapo
Summary: Thanks to a mysterious new power, Eggman has successfully taken over most of the world! Sonic is captured, Tails goes missing, and Knuckles forms a crew known as the Resistance to fight Eggman's forces. With the help of a brave new face, will our heroes defeat the powerful Infinite and take their world back? A (light) novelization/fixfic for Sonic Forces, intended to comfortably expand on the source story and provide a fun and different twist on its continuity while staying fairly true to Sonic as series. Will be regularly updated as I work on new chapters.





	1. Prologue - The Ultimate Invention? Silver's Warning!

**Author's Note:**

> This is something I'll probably spend a fair amount of my time working on. While I loved Forces, I feel its story left a bit to be desired, and had quite a few holes and inconsistencies throughout, with a lot that was not elaborated on. My goal is simple: I wish to retell the story of Forces in a more coherent, interesting, and engaging way, elaborate on the things that went unexplained, and hopefully try to keep this retelling believable and realistic, so it seems like something you could see in the games, or at least the comics. Something more along the lines of what you'd actually expect from Sonic, and then some. It's a big undertaking, so I'll be releasing it in parts and try to keep it the cleanest I can. I'm not the greatest writer, but I have a lot of experience under my belt, and I'm hoping my take on the story will provide a lot for readers to enjoy. Thank you!
> 
> An important thing to mention is that this is in third person present tense. It's in part a writing experiment because I don't normally do present tense, I know it's uncommon and awkward but I'm hoping you'll give this experiment a little read anyways.  
> Please bookmark or subscribe to the story if you want to be notified when I pump out new chapters. Thanks again!
> 
> Any similarities with any other fanworks or concepts are entirely coincidential.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eggman speaks of a new invention; Silver warns Knuckles of a calamity that will befall their world.

“Prepare yourself, Sonic...!” There is a well-paced sequence of steps aboard the Egg Carrier, their metallic melody backed by the harmonious sounds of unknown liquids bubbling in glass tanks. Dr. Eggman speaks again, talking to no one in particular as he thoroughly eyeballs readings on a monitor. He clenches his fists and grins maliciously, brimming with a childlike enthusiasm. For him, it's a very good day.

“I've poured all my hatred for you into this one project. My ultimate weapon is now complete!” The doctor turns to face one of the glass tanks, peering into it and practically frothing at the mouth as he ponders the eerie figure floating within it. There is a triangular jewel-like object on its chest, which glows a sickly red and pulsates uncomfortably. 

“Every defeat...every humiliation… with this creation, I’ll pay it all back, ten-thousandfold!”  
He faces the monitor again. “...This is my dream come true. With this invention, I’ll be able to build Eggmanland… no, the Eggman Empire… and conquer the world!” Stuck in his hubris, the mad doctor cackles loudly, turning away from the big glass chamber with Orbot and Cubot in tow.

“The boss means business this time.”

“Uh-huh...”

Within the tank a hand tightens and a head tilts down to reveal one yellow eye, sharp and full of malice.

* * *

“So you say you don’t know what’s going on either?” Knuckles taps his chin, trying his best to make sense of what he’s hearing. He walks over to the Master Emerald and props himself on top of it.

“N-no, I don’t! I just know it’s bad, real bad! You said it yourself - Chaos is normally harmless. He wouldn’t just attack you for no reason! And Pachacamac’s village… it appeared out of thin air...” Silver’s shaking a little, but he’s balling his hands into tight fists and squeezing his palms, probably in an attempt to ease some of his nervous tension. It seems to work. “This all has to tie into the calamity that’s about to befall us!”

“Calamity? What’re you saying?”

Silver plants his feet on the ground and looks up at Knuckles with a stern expression. “Something happens in this time that brings the world to ruin. I don’t know what happens, or how it happens, just that it’s something... and it happens. My future was so bright and peaceful before... but I just woke up one day and found myself in a different world entirely. Our true future, apparently. I'm guessing all the jumping back and forth between time periods has made my perception kind of unstable, and it took until now for reality to catch up to me.”

“You… what? Reality?” The echidna scratches his head.

“I-I mean, it’s like… like a refresh. Does that make sense? My lag from traveling to the past wore off, and my future  _ refreshed _ itself, basically. A new future based on the way things are supposed to happen now. And it’s not pleasant…” He places a hand on his head, looking at the ground with a solemn face. For a brief moment the hedgehog squints his eyes and they slowly roll to the left, and then to the right, as if he's questioning if his very presence is a figment of his imagination. "Everything was barren and ruined, almost completely empty. The libraries were all destroyed, so I didn't have any luck finding records on the events, and the ones I could find were barely readable.”

“An unknown threat, huh.” Knuckles is deep in thought, trying his hardest to wrap his mind around the intricate concepts brought up by the traveler. “And you don't have any idea what it could be?”

"My future only gave me one clue, from some wreckage I found - it has something to do with Eggman, as you probably could have guessed. But I don't know what role he plays, exactly. It doesn't make sense for Sonic to just lose to Eggman all of a sudden, unless there was something else... or someone else." Silver sighs. "So of course, I traveled back here to hopefully steer off what's happening and save the future. I'm thankful that Little Planet showed up when it did.”

“...And so you came to me. If something happened on the surface, I wouldn’t have known until it was too late.” Knuckles hops off of the Emerald and folds his arms, understanding the gravity of the situation. "Maybe my involvement is crucial to saving the world, then.”

Silver tightens his lips. “I wish I could say I knew that for sure. Being a Guardian, I just thought you should be the first to know. Since you wouldn’t have known before, it’s entirely possible that your participating could change things for the better.”

“Ahuh...” Knuckles is contemplative for a moment. "Well, it's good to see you, Silver. Heck, if I didn't know any better, I'd think you just love coming back to see us!"

“I really do, to be honest,” Silver replies, smiling. "It's always great to see you guys again. But believe me when I say I'm not jumping to the past again just to say hi. I'm here to save my future. Your future. That comes first.”

“Well... we don’t want to waste any more time then.” Knuckles raises a fist, unruffled. “We’ll bring everyone together to face Eggman and this thing that ruined your future. Whatever’s going on, I’ll lead them all against it!”

The hedgehog grins, taken back by Knuckles’ boldness. “I-I don’t know if all that’s really necessary, but I’m really glad to have your help. I guess a little preparation never hurt anything… Let’s gather the others, then, quickly!”

  
  
  



	2. Welcome to the Lost Valley! Eggman's Victory?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sonic travels through a seriously messed up Green Hill; Eggman demonstrates his greatest creation, with unexpected results.

“Hold on Tails, I’m on my way!”

It takes our speedy blue hero maybe a grand total of five whole seconds to notice that there is something significantly wrong with where he stands. A traveler by heart, he recognizes the many things that decorate the planet he loves. But as he zooms across the landscape, he sees that Green Hill is something very different. To him, the zone as a whole is more than just the clean air, the lush vegetation, the glistening lakes, and the open land. For Sonic it is a healthy and beautiful reminder of where things all began. So to find the lakes stuffed with sand, the grass dead, and the air dry leaves the spiny speedster a little prickly. It feels like a part of him is being spat on and kicked. And even though he doesn’t know how it happened, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to guess who’s responsible for it.

Sonic sighs as he hops off of a large chunk of sinking land. “This place is a wreck. Thanks, Eggman.” He sets himself onto a tower-like landmass, taking a second’s glance out into the distance before speeding down the side, accelerating rapidly. Green Hill is in an extreme state of ruin, parts of the ground broken into sizable lumps and circled by dull pools of sand. Sonic shakes his head as he swiftly maneuvers the golden obstacle course his nemesis has laid out for him, keeping his pace. His feet make firm yet brief contact with the sandlogged masses as he jumps, cutting the air with a series of acrobatic maneuvers. With a quick flip he touches down onto a straight and speeds onward. As he moves towards a large rock face he stumbles, if only for a millisecond, at a strange vibration beneath his feet.

“What the…” Sonic thankfully has time make a mighty leap before the straight of land snaps in half beneath him, from between the two halves erupting a gargantuan, violet, worm-like creature. Blitzing forward still, he peers back at the sight, watching the purple creature spiral up into the sky before plummeting back down into the sand. He grins and lets loose a surprised whistle. “Man, check out the size of that thing! Guess all kinds of stuff shows up when your neighborhood turns into a desert...” Sonic steps onward, effortlessly avoiding the sand traps and sinking platforms throughout as he sprints. The motions are natural to him, like breathing. Each bound a breath, never faltering. Running is something he, being Sonic, is really good at. At one point he finds his path obscured by a line of silver-colored Badniks, and decides to do that other thing he’s really good at: curling up within the span of a second, he blasts forward, busting holes through the villainous scrap at blinding speeds.

Badniks - at least the way Sonic sees it - are more like a fun diversion. Never capable of causing trouble on their own, but they exist and are basically harmless. A few Egg Pawns? No biggie. The flying ones? Bonus points. It’s like the Doc sees some sort of game in their meetings. As Sonic nails a few more bullseyes and lands, a thought passes through his head, which he freely vocalizes. “Huh, these aren’t Doc’s usual. Guess he was feeling generous enough to give me something new to smash.”

With little time to ponder this any further, Sonic jumps again as he feels another great tremor beneath him. However this time he miscalculates, and the worm creature’s head launches out from just in front of him. Fight or flight shifts to top gear and he grabs onto the creature’s length as it soars through the air and takes him for a rocky trip across the sky. He shifts his head a little to look forward, following the worm’s trajectory with his eyes. Farther out in front of him he can see pipes and other machinery, and the sand seems to dissolve. But what really draws his attention is the buildings clustered together in the distance, which appear to be settled in flames. The wind pries and pulls at him as the sandworm loses altitude right before a cliff head, signaling his stop. He deftly leaps for the cliff and speeds off, leaving the worm behind him as it makes its exit into the sand below. Clicking the communicator piece in his ear, he speaks over his lightning steps.

“Hey Tails, I had to take a little detour, but I’m almost there! Mind telling me what’s going on?”

“I’ll be in Park Avenue. I don’t know how, but Eggman’s forces have already swarmed most of the city! You need to get here, quick! I can’t keep myself hidden for long...”

“Hey, you know me, don't you? 'Quick' is what I do best!"

He can hear Tails chuckle on the other end. "Hah, yeah, of course..."

"Alright, the city’s coming up now, so we’ll talk more once I get there and crack ol’ Eggface. It won’t be more than a moment!”

"Sounds good. Be careful, Sonic."

"Heh, aren't I always?" Sonic says. Right after that, he adds in a cooler "You too, buddy."

There is a click and the audio feed cuts out. Sonic looks forward with determination and begins to roll himself up, his speed not dropping in the slightest. As he spins forward, he bounces off of a nearby flying badnik, using it to propel himself into the sky. He takes in the brief moment in a way that only Sonic would: straightening his arms and legs, he shifts to a missile-like formation and closes his eyes, feeling the dusty air tickle his face and letting himself hang for a moment. When he’s at peak height, he peers down at the city in the distance and reels back before snapping himself into a ball as he falls. He spins rapidly during his descent, and once he makes contact with the ground, it is practically shredded in half in an explosion of kinetic energy as his rolling body sweeps the land stretching towards the city. Looking forward, his thoughts drift over the chaotic Green Hill he left behind, and his grin is tested when a realization strikes him:  _ Man, cleanup’s gonna be a chore. _

* * *

 

“Well, if it isn’t Sonic’s little fox friend! Why hello, Tails.”

Tails freezes. Warily and cautiously he turns around to meet the voice at face, and the civilians with him follow suit. His body is stiff.

“You’ve been almost as much of a pain as that hedgehog...” Eggman furrows his brow at those last few words as his Eggmobile hovers closer. Egg Pawns march in from afar and circle Tails in rings, taking slow and stiff steps to close the gap. “But now? Ohohoho, I almost feel sorry for you! To think I honestly saw  _ you  _ as a capable threat!”

Tails clenches his teeth and takes a cautious step backwards. “Just wait… Sonic is heading here as we speak. He’ll stop you!”

The Egg Pawns march closer. “Oh, he’s coming here, is he? How delightful!” Unexpectedly, Eggman is cheesing and rubbing his hands giddily. It has Tails very worried. “Why, this only improves things! In fact, why don’t you call him twice? I’m not getting any younger, you know.”

“What...?”

There is now a distant whirring that only gets louder. “And speak of the spiky blue devil! I’m going to  _ enjoy this.” _

A blue sphere of light streams across the ground, catching the attention of both parties. It shifts in the opposite direction and blitzes through one of the lines, shredding through the circle of foes as if they were paper. On its way out, it bounds into the air and unfurls to reveal the confident smirk of the figure compacted within. Sonic the Hedgehog splays his arms out freely before rolling back up, springing off of the remaining Pawns’ heads one by one before touching the ground. In a cool maneuver he shifts forward, taking himself through the remaining enemies. From his position he leaps backwards before stomping down on the last Badnik to finish the job, dusting his hands as he looks towards Tails and the civilians. “Everyone okay?”

Tails smiles at the refreshing sight, disregarding the weight in his stomach with a relieved sigh. “Yeah, thanks to you. Cutting it kinda close though, pal!”

Sonic straightens up and grins, shrugging. “Yeah, that’s pretty much just how I roll.” He turns to Eggman, who is eyeing him unusually, eager and hungry. It doesn’t feel right. “Alright, let’s finish this, Eggman.” Sonic points a finger in his direction and his smarmy expression loosens a little, albeit briefly.

“Ohohoho, it is  _ you  _ who will be finished, rodent! Behold the power of my ultimate masterpiece!”

Impulsively, Sonic leaps into the air and jets into Eggman’s direction, looking to topple him from his levitating throne. To his surprise, he is interrupted by the powerful strike of a force all too familiar to him. “Huh..?!”

He lands onto the ground and shifts back a little, getting a good eyeful of his interceptor, who stands only a few feet away from him.

“Shadow? It’s  _ you?” _

Before he can process it further, a fireball drops from the sky and a streak of red appears to shatter the ground in front of him, prompting Sonic to leap back. “Zavok?”

Sonic has little time to recover, because from there a gelatinous mass stretches from behind him. He is able to dodge its assault as expertly as usual, but is inches away from being struck by an intense purple light, which whizzes around him at matching speeds. The entities involved make themselves known. “Chaos? Metal?”

Stepping away from Eggman, Tails guides the civilians into a hidden passage, but his eyes remain fixated on the sight before him.  _ This is insane! _

Sonic takes a good look at the rogues gallery assembled before him and shakes his head, smirking again. “C’mon doc, is this supposed to be threatening? I’ve outmatched, outsmarted, and outran these guys before. Who’s to say I won’t do it again?”

As if to answer, the world sends him a fifth - an ominous, masked individual with a blood red glow - who slowly descends before him. It eyes Sonic and moves little, hovering in front of him as if to intimidate. The worrying part is that it seems to work. Sonic’s smirk doesn’t fade, but something unnerves him about this guy, and he takes no time to ponder it. He shifts forward again with no startup, using his speed in an attempt to tear through the masked individual as if he were another Badnik. Sonic is confused to find he makes contact with nothing but the hot air itself. The masked figure dodged, somehow. A prediction of the future, maybe? Or just one heck of a lucky guess? Sonic’s eyes narrow. From the very point the thought of attacking popped up in his head, this foe read him like a book.

“He’s… faster than Sonic?” Tails is in disbelief.

The masked figure lifts himself up into the air, his head tilted towards Sonic as if taunting him. Sonic readies to attack again, not a single quip leaving his mouth this time. As he spins into the air, the entity effortlessly counters his aggression with a flipkick before transitioning into a powerful roundhouse, sending Sonic tumbling into a nearby building. Sonic drops to the ground, dazed. He balls his fist up and leaps to his feet, only to find pressure in the form of Zavok, whose clawed hand manages to get half an inch from his face before it is halted. Sonic retaliates with a combo of swift kicks and a blue wind envelops him as he springs toward the masked being, who vanishes from sight.

Tails pulls out his MilesElectric and eyeballs the action intently, the gears in his head already turning. “No...wait... it’s something else!” Anxious, he lowers his eyes and backs in between two buildings, concealing himself within the sunset shade as he looks the screen over.  _ SCANNING… _

Sonic’s brief ascension is interrupted by the zooming Metal Sonic, who forces him to drop to the ground. Moderately rustled, Sonic rockets off towards the roof of a nearby building, but makes no progress as Chaos awaits his arrival, forcing him into a defensive stance with his powerful grasp. “What the… How’re you doing thi-” is all he can blurt out before the masked figure appears behind him and strikes him once again, launching him a good distance across the lot. Eggman floats towards him, a fiendish smile on his face.  _ “Nice.” _

Tails is watching all this play out from the shadows and as time passes his anxiety only grows. He shakes the device in his hands impatiently, crossing his fingers for some semblance of a clue. A few seconds of waiting and an unpleasant result is delivered to him: “ _ UNKNOWN DATA”.  _ Tails’ focus drifts to the strange figure, whose eerie red glow gives him a serious case of the chills. “No way… he’s not a robot? There’s no Chaos energy in him, either. I’m not picking up anything else...”

Sonic gets to his feet again, this time significantly more sluggish than before. Tails is troubled even more when he hears Sonic speak: his voice is apprehensive. “Tails, I really need to know what’s going on with this guy!”

“I’m trying, but these readings are all messed up! They don’t make any sense!” As soon as this is said, the mysterious figure approaches again and kicks Sonic into a wall before he has a chance to think. The figure launches the has-been hero into the air with a powerful upwards swing of the leg, and with that Shadow, Zavok, Chaos, and Metal Sonic leap after the humbled hedgehog and break into him with surprising coordination. "Oof- running out of time here, Tails!"

Tails is stuck watching as Sonic is juggled helplessly, and his eyes rapidly sweep over the MilesElectric again in a panic. “No, no, no…” Sonic is unfortunately unable to escape from the villains’ seemingly endless frenzy of strikes, and is only given relief when the masked figure stamps him with his foot, the force of the blow practically pressing his body into the concrete. Tails grits his teeth and waits for Sonic to stand, if only to tell him something like “We have to go!” Instead, he very nearly loses his mind at what he sees. To his horror, Sonic is motionless, and does not stand.

“Sonic, get up! Please!” The young inventor’s pleas are mangled amongst the maniacal laughing of the mad doctor, who hovers over Sonic’s body. Tails drops his MilesElectric and is just about to run to Sonic himself before Shadow blocks his path, staring him down coldly. He can only stare the black hedgehog in the face, eyes wide. “Please, Shadow! Snap out of it! I need to get to Sonic!”

Shadow doesn’t respond.

“There’s nothing you can do, foxboy! If Sonic couldn’t beat me, what could  _ you  _ possibly hope to accomplish here?” Dr. Eggman turns to his creation. “Excellent work. Grab Sonic and move. My empire won’t build itself!”

“There he is! Let's pick up the pace!” Rapid footsteps are heard as three shapes enter the torn city, attracting the attention of the doctor. Tails watches as they come further into view, and identifies them as Silver, Knuckles, and Amy. He is frozen and scared for them. They step in and view the scene with tightened faces, their frowns growing at the sight of Eggman’s new creation and Sonic’s still body. "Tails?" Knuckles notices Tails being blocked in by Shadow, and is surprised to say the least. "Shadow...? To find you in league with the enemy..." 

Amy’s eyes glow and she spins her hammer in her hand impatiently, clenching her teeth. Silver speaks up. “No, we were too late!”

"Nonsense! You came just in time to see what remains of your great hedgehog hero." Dr. Eggman stretches his arms out dramatically, presenting the fallen Sonic like some sort of prize. "Get a good eyeful, because this is the last you'll be seeing of him for a  _ very _ long time! Ohohoho!"

Knuckles shakes his fist. “Grrrhh! Normally I’d say ‘rough ‘em up’, but with Sonic down, we can’t take that sort of risk right now!"

Dr. Eggman flashes an amused smile. “It's nice to see you’re making the right choices for once, Knuckles. But I think your fears need reinforcing, just in case you get a little hasty...” He looks towards the masked figure. “Give them a little demonstration, will you?”

_ “...With pleasure.” _

The reddish glow surrounding the masked entity grows more intense, and the gem on his chest appears to swirl and warp. With an outstretched hand, a red field of energy engulfs the power trio, and they can only grab onto pipes and stray chunks of concrete as the ground crumbles and opens a mile-deep pit beneath them, distorting their vision. “Grab onto something...!”

The entity’s jewel-like object glows again and from the heavens blasts a large beam of orange energy, directed into the crumbling pit. The three have little time to react as the beam slowly widens, threatening to engulf the entirely of the hole. "Amy, move! He's gonna cook us!" Amy climbs quickly and pulls herself and Silver up to safety before the rod of energy can move in their direction, but Knuckles, who is buried further in, just barely makes it out, yelping as his arm is burned by the scorching pillar. By cue, Shadow departs with Eggman, and the beam dissipates as Tails runs to the others, his mind racing. “We need to get Sonic!”

“We  _ need  _ to head back to base,” Silver demands. “This is too dangerous to take head on!”

Tails’ gaze grows fierce. “I’m not leaving Sonic behind! We can’t just let Eggman take him!”

Amy is looking at Knuckles’ charred arm. She’s trembling a little - maybe with anger, maybe with sadness, maybe with fear. Despite this, she’s trying her hardest to sound reasonable. “Normally I’d agree, Tails. I really would. ...But Silver is right. We don’t even know what this new creation of Eggman’s is fully capable of.”

Eggman laughs heartily as he turns to leave, not even giving the trio of friends a goodbye’s glance. Knuckles shakes his head. "I don't feel like getting burned up again because we wanted to be a little reckless today. Let's cut our losses." 

Knuckles steps down, but Tails is glaring hard enough to pierce holes in the doctor. Frustrated beyond belief, his tails start to spin and he jumps up from a running start, attempting to pursue the mad doctor himself. “Tails, come on!”

Despite his wishes, he gets less than a few meters’ start before he is sent crashing backwards with a titanium punch from Metal Sonic. “Hrrk-!” As Tails drops, his fall is slowed by Silver, who gently sets him onto the ground. His fire vanishes as he sees the masked figure float in the direction of Eggman, Sonic in his hands. The figure's head shifts to Tails with a piercing eye. He can almost hear it speak again, mocking him. _Pathetic child._

There is a strange, discomforting silence as Eggman and his crew make their departure, leaving Tails and the others to rot in their feelings. Knuckles' burn is quickly tended to, and it takes a while for Tails to recuperate, but he does. Soon the only sight left for the party of friends is a few specks in the distance, highlighted by the sunset.

“I can’t believe this… I can only hope Sonic will be okay...” Amy’s voice is wavering.

“It is what it is, now." Silver sighs. "Eggman gaining a new power, Sonic being defeated… I’m almost certain now that this point in time was the catalyst for the events leading to my future. As long as we're together though, we still have a fighting chance. Let’s retreat.”

"We'll at least be able to round up the rest of the Resistance now." Expressing his sympathies the best he can, Knuckles pats Tails on the back and begins his pace behind Silver and Amy. “Come on. I want to show you our hideout.”

Tails moves along with Knuckles and the others, but he does not say a word. Melancholic, his eyes only glisten.


	3. This Isn't Over! Tails' Eleventh-Hour Plan!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Knuckles and co. weigh their options; Tails sets off to rescue Sonic.

“To make a long story short, Silver came from the future because he knew something like this would happen.”

“Ehe… you could call it a psychic hunch.”

“But he didn’t know the specifics - he only knew it was something bad, and it didn’t take a genius to guess it had to do with Eggman. So I decided we would gather the others and form a standing force for when things went south. This bunker within the Mystic Ruins is going to be our base of operations for the time being.”

Amy speaks up. “We were actually looking for Shadow’s help. We didn’t know where Sonic was, and were hoping he could help us out. But as soon as we saw Eggman’s robots gather around Park Avenue, we had to change our plans. I can’t believe Shadow would side with Eggman like that…”

Tails gets up from his seat. For the past few minutes he has been listening to the best of his ability, but at the same time his thoughts battle him for his attention. His somber expression persists when he opens his mouth. “It was something else. He didn’t __choose__ to join Eggman… it has something to do with that new power.”

“New power? You mean...”

“Whatever burned your arm and tried to drop you guys to the center of the planet. That masked guy is Eggman’s newest invention. He had Chaos and Zavok under his control too. I don't know how, that new power is why Shadow is working for Eggman.”

Knuckles scratches his head. “Huh, so you’re saying it’s like, mind control or something?”

"Only thing I can think of right now,” Tails says, rubbing his face wearily. “It doesn’t make sense for Shadow to just leave us like this.”

Knuckles looks towards the ground, freezing in thought for a brief moment. He opens his mouth to speak, and his voice trades its previously oafish tone for a strangely stoic and confident cadence. Amy’s ears lift - she finds it assuring. “Alright, well let’s try to look at it from both sides. With Sonic out of the way, Eggman will probably start whatever scheme for world domination he’s cooked up.” As Knuckles says this, Tails folds his arms. The fur on his cheeks is slightly stained. “But at the least, we’re not rushing anymore. We were hoping to intercept and retrieve Sonic before anything could happen, but that fell through. Eggman has Sonic now, but it’ll take him a while to get anything done, so we can use that time to gather the others and prepare for an assault before he has a chance to do any major damage.”

Amy is attentive, but her face reads concern. “Right. Let’s get the others. I know Rouge will want to know what’s going on too.”

Everyone is huddled together except for Tails, who gets up. He is quiet. “You guys do that… but I’m going to get Sonic back.”

Silver and Amy share puzzled faces before looking back at Tails. “What?”

“Eggman still has Sonic, so I’m going to get him back,” Tails reiterates.

Knuckles doesn’t lose his serious tone. “Tails, we just got here. We have to play it safe, at least until we can gather the others. Just lay low for now.” He winces at those last few words, because he can see Tails stiffen in place. It’s clear he struck a nerve.

Tails turns around. “‘Lay low’? Knuckles, we can’t just do that after what happened! Laying low isn’t what’ll rescue Sonic.” His voice breaks a little, and he furrows his brow. The room is cold and dry. “...Besides, I have an advantage.”

“Tails, you’re not thinking. What advantage could we possibly have against an unknown enemy?”

“ _Eggman’s_ the one who’s not thinking. He believes there’s nothing I’ll do. He doesn’t see me as a threat. He’s not expecting me, so that’s my advantage. It was a long time ago, but I’ve beaten him before. He forgot that I can do anything he can do.”

Silver takes a few steps forward, concern in his voice. “I understand that you want Sonic back, Tails... we all do. But what you're doing... that's a big risk. We still don’t know the enemy’s power, or even where Eggman is located! It’s not like you can just walk into his secret base and pick Sonic up.”

“That’s why I’m going to fly there instead. See, I picked up a few Chaos Emeralds from me and Sonic’s last adventure. The Tornado is configured to use them in place of the regular energy generator. Eggman isn’t expecting _this,_ either.” He speaks with certainty. “Just three Emeralds should be more than enough to keep him and his friend off my trail.”

“But you don’t know that for sure! And besides, what are you going to do once you’re inside? You're not expecting us to come with you, are you?”

Tails purses his lips. “I’ll figure it all out when I get there. With or without you guys.”

Amy’s eyes light up, but not in anger. She is worried. “If you get there. You’re being ridiculous! What if you don’t make it back?” Her eyes widen as she looks into him, unease marking her face. “It’s not like I don’t know how you feel… but Sonic wouldn’t want us to risk ourselves for him like this. He’d want us to be happy. You know that.”

While the assault of questions pries at Tails, he cooly pushes them away, having already marked a path in his mind. “Breaking into Eggman’s bases is basically routine for me and Sonic. So what if he wants us to be happy? What if we don’t have even a chance at that without him? He’s risked so much for us… so I think it’s only fair that I pay him back for once. You guys can do whatever you’re doing, but I don’t want to wait any longer.” His voice lowers to a mumble. “...When we get Sonic, he’ll fix this, like he always does.”   


Knuckles is snarling now. “So that’s how it is, then…” He bares his teeth, aggravated. “Is there _any_ changing your mind? What else do you need to see to realize you’re being ridiculous, Tails? Do you want to see me get burnt by _another_ space laser?” He steps forward and looks Tails in the eye, who is unflinching. “Did you forget that Eggman’s new friend defeated Sonic? Do you think all of that just _won’t happen again?_   You know if Sonic were here, he’d want you safely preparing with the rest of us!”

“Exactly… Sonic _isn’t_ here.” Tails faces back towards the door and begins his leave, his face empty. He challenges Knuckles with his decisive intonation. Realizing there's no changing his mind, the others step back when they hear him, informally resolving in their silence to leave him be. “...And all of that _won’t_ happen again, because I won’t let Sonic down again. I’ll protect my friend this time.”

 

* * *

 

When Tails reaches his trusty biplane, he slowly runs his hand over the big white text that marks the side of the pilot’s seat. _SONIC._  The name painted on the side is a comfortable reminder of the plane’s history. The memories pour into the front of Tails’ mind like a waterfall, and he can’t help but smile warmly as he recalls them.

_“Hey, this is way faster than before! You did this?”_

_“Yeah… mechanics is all I’m good at, really. I’m sorry for working on it without asking...”_

Tails jumps into the pilot’s seat and clicks a button. A panel in the middle opens up, revealing 7 circular slots. He places a blue emerald in one of the slots, and a green and white emerald in the two next to it. Without hesitation he flips a switch and the slots light up one by one. When they’re all lit, he closes the hatch and straightens his brow.

Closing the emerald hatch, Tails pushes a button and a radar lights up on the side. _Unknown energy signature detected. Proceed north._ He lifts a lever and the propeller begins to spin, becoming louder as it dices up the air violently. “Alright, everything seems good...” Tails pulls another lever and the Tornado’s wheels chase along the ground, only to depart from the planet within the span of seconds. The air is surprisingly warm, and it blankets Tails as if giving him the hug it feels he deserves.

_“Don’t apologize, this is awesome! What made you wanna fix my old plane up, anyways?”_

_“Oh uh, well… every time I see you running around the island, I think you look really cool! So when I found your plane, I guess I couldn’t help myself. I thought that maybe with a few changes, I could make it just as fast and cool as you!”_

A minute’s time and the Tornado is high in the air. The panel in the middle pulsates and glows warmly with Chaos energy. Once Tails believes he is high enough, he flicks a switch and keeps his focus forward, hoping to distract himself from the sun’s intrusive beaming. The plane settles into a balanced state and maintains a steady speed as it propels forward. It takes a few minutes to really get moving, and so Tails uses this time to perform quick weapon and radar tests. At one point he takes a brief glimpse at the blackened and broken city behind him, and he immediately regrets it.

He looks over the radar again, maneuvering his craft in the direction of a large crimson blip. “It’s not moving, and it’s the same energy in that guy… Eggman’s base has to be this way. I’m going to have to speed it up if I want to get Sonic.” He presses up on the acceleration a little, hoping to expedite the process, and his mind wanders with the breeze once more.

_“As fast and as cool as me, huh? You did a pretty sweet job. What’s your name, pal?”_

_“Err, it’s Miles... Miles Prower! Oh, the others call me Tails, but I don’t like that name very much...”_

_“Tails, huh? What's wrong with that? I think that’s great!”_

_“W-what... really?”_

_“Aw, yeah! Miles ‘Tails’ Prower, kid genius! You gotta admit, it has a really cool sound to it.”_

_“Oh, t-thanks.”_

_“Hmmh... Say, looks like you know your way around this better than I do. Why don’t you take my plane for yourself?”_

_“Oh no, I couldn’t..!”_

_“Hey, it’s least I can do. Just promise you’ll take me for a ride sometime, alright?”_

Another smile forces itself onto Tails’ face. The memories are comforting to say the absolute least. Unfortunately Tails’ period of reflection is abruptly shattered by the urgent beeping of the radar in the cockpit. The boy darts his eyes towards the display, and then to the barren stretch of land in front of him. Life seems to end where Tails is at. In place of grassy hills or bustling cities is cracked, gray ground with little in the way of notable landmarks. It is a bleak sight that leaves Tails mentally exhausted. “Guess I’m close… shifting to combat mode!” Tails pushes a button and small hatches flip open from the bottom of the plane to reveal glowing tubes of light. A large tower exists very faintly in the distance, and as it comes further into view Tails can make out exposed computer-like internals and steel rods jutting out from the top. This is Eggman’s new base, and its incomplete nature is apparent. Specks fly out from the towering structure, and the Tornado’s radar beeps accordingly when they come close. Tails can mark them with his eye. _Eggman knows I’m here. But he’s forgetting what I can do!_

Soon, large, bird-like badniks are charging in Tails’ direction from opposite sides, firing at him and hoping to trap him in a pincer maneuver. Anticipating this, Tails flicks up on the stick to focus the Tornado towards the clouds. The flying badniks move after him in their unfaltering pursuit. “They look different, but they’re still Eggman’s. Let’s see how long they can stay on my tail!” Tails spirals a little during his ascension, hoping to catch the drones off guard and distract their fire. When he is high enough in the air, he pulls back and grins as the plane dives back down. Riding the air during his descent, he cruises forward to Eggman’s base with a great burst of speed. Disoriented, the badniks miss their mark and very nearly crash into each other, netting him a safe window to slide closer to Eggman. He lifts a slider to crank the speed up, hoping to gain as much distance as he can and escape detection. The radar’s beeping accelerates as the Tornado jets over the cracked land, and at this point the sound is practically a part of him.

_“Hey Sonic, check this out! I made some last minute adjustments, and now the Tornado is the fastest it’s ever been!”_

_“The ‘Tornado’, huh?”_

_“O-oh, see, you never had a name for the plane… so I thought of one myself! The Tornado! ‘With sonic winds, a tornado spins!’ Eheh, pretty great, right?”_

_“...Huh, not bad. I like it!”_

With a deep breath, Tails pushes himself into action. His grip on the stick tightens as the whirring of the bird-like Badniks gets louder, signifying their approach. Focus not breaking in the slightest, he sharply twists around and clicks a button, sending rippling blasts of concentrated Chaos energy into an enemy. “Gotcha!” As if to avenge its fallen kin, the other foe picks up in speed and attempts to ram itself into Tails, who narrowly avoids smashing into it head-on as he accelerates away in an attempt to shake it off. Growling through gritted teeth, he twists around again and finds the badnik is just barely touching his craft, two seconds away from firing a hole through him. Clutching the controls harder than previous, Tails quickly pulls the craft up and then pushes down, performing an erratic, evasive maneuver that thankfully allows him to narrowly avoid the foe’s decisive shot.

“Alright, let’s do this, Eggman.” Taking a hard roll to the right, with a grunt he pulls upwards again, performing a very tight and very risky somersault maneuver. He tightens his face and nearly breaks concentration as he spins through the air, but soon he is aligned with the ground again, with the badnik in front of him. Before it can turn, he pushes a button and pumps a fist as it is destroyed almost immediately. Tails corrects his position and sets himself in the direction of Eggman’s base again, sweat beading down his face as he looks the radar over. He is given little time to relax however as two more blips pop out from the north side, followed by another pair… then two more… soon, a line of Badniks approaches Tails and the Tornado with the intention of clipping its wings.

“It looks like I have to twist my way into a landing!” Tails begins rolling to the left and then to the right, trying to swerve through the onslaught of foes. The flying machines swoop up and adapt to their opponent in an unexpected way - they form a large array in the air, threatening to push Tails towards the ground and send him crashing. The wall of foes lowers on him immediately and in perfect coordination, matching his speed near-exactly and restricting his movement as the view of Eggman’s base becomes clearer. Tails purses his lips. “Urgh… this is gonna be tight...” He is forced to huddle the ground as he accelerates, with no room to move upwards and only ruin below. With the Tornado less than a yard away from clipping itself on the planet, Tails shouts and presses a button as the plane blasts forward to escape the descending blanket of flyers, leaving a sparkling trail behind him.

It isn’t over yet. Tails looks over his radar again, and then back on the sight ahead of him. The flying fighter Badniks have vanished, but the radar’s beeping is frantic and incessant. It is the large red dot, and to his dismay and confusion, there is a dark red dot of equal size moving in his direction. “W-what? One is the power in Eggman’s base… so the other… _He's here already...?_ ” Tails keeps straight, making occasional glances at the screen in the cockpit. The dark red blip is still flying towards him, and his thumb rests itself onto the fire button as he prepares for the inevitable. But as quickly as it moved, the crimson blip vanishes from the radar in its entirety, and the red one signifying Eggman’s base seems to get farther and farther away. _ERROR! UNKNOWN ENERGY DETECTED! PROCEED_ _█████_

Tails’ vision blurs, and he slows the Tornado in a panic.

“What brings you here? Perhaps you were mislead. I cannot guarantee you a painless way out.” A voice. _That voice._

“Agh… what… you… you should know exactly why I’m here! You took Sonic! So I’m going to get him back!” Tails is holding his head and gritting his teeth at the ominous shape hovering in front of him. His eyes go in and out of focus. For some reason, hearing this guy makes him feel sick.

“Ah yes, the blue hero was a friend of yours. How do you think he’d feel to know you’ve already foolishly marked your place next to him through this encounter?”

Tails speeds up and rolls to the left, creating distance between him and the mysterious enemy before firing. “He’d be happy, because I’m fighting you for him. You’re overestimating yourself, you know. You’re just another one of Eggman’s stupid creations who got a little lucky. Maybe you didn’t know, but that’s his first win.” Tails is trembling, but an assured smile marks his face as he rolls in the opposite direction and fires. “And when Sonic comes back, he’ll set the record straight!”

The masked figure laughs a low, rumbly laugh as the Tornado’s supercharged blasts phase through his body as if striking nothing, proving ineffective. “As you may be surprised to know, my power exists... _beyond_ Chaos.”

Unsettled, Tails attempts to boost ahead of the figure, but makes no progress as the terrain seems to stretch further away from him. He’s accelerating and yet going nowhere. Left with no choice, Tails bites his lip and shifts back into the masked figure’s direction, firing shot after shot into him. Each time, the shot uselessly passes through him, and this only makes the ace pilot increasingly desperate.

“Now what could have transpired for you to become so thoughtless?” The figure folds his arms. “You, along with those friends of yours, were given the chance to escape with your own life. And yet you throw yours away now, under the false presumption that you can be _better than you are._ Where could you have possibly received that little notion?”

Tails fires again, mashing the trigger frantically as his breath quickens. Endless rays of light flood his vision, but the result does not change. He is lost.

“ _..._ Ah, I suppose such a foolish state of mind can’t be helped.” The masked creature lifts a hand and a red glow emits from it, the ground crumbling beneath him. “I will impart to you a very important lesson. You would do well to take it with you in your next life.”

The fox's senses dim again, and he is silent.

_“If Sonic couldn’t beat me, what could you possibly hope to accomplish here?”_

_"To think I honestly saw you as a capable threat for a time!”_

_"You’re being ridiculous!”_

_"I won't let Sonic down again. I’ll protect my friend this time.”_

"Pathetic child."

The Tornado falls. As it descends, distant memories and a shattered soul come crashing down with it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merry Christmas, everyone! I hope you enjoyed!


	4. Records of War! The Resistance Steps Forward

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Knuckles assesses their current situation; Eggman broadcasts a message across the world.

Knuckles reads off of a list while scanning a crowd of faces. Behind him is a large table with two containers sitting on it. The faces stew in silence as he reads.  
“Vector.”

“Right here!”

“Amy.”

“Here!”

“Charmy?”

“Here, here!”

“Rouge!”

“I’m here.”

“Espio.”

“Present.”

He looks over the list again, tapping at the unmarked names.

“...Where’s Cream?”

Amy speaks up. “I thought it was too dangerous to hold her here and risk keeping her from her mom. I just told Gemerl what was going on and said to reach out to us if anything happened. He’s going to keep close watch on the area around Night Carnival.”

“Alright. And Blaze?”

“Cream said she still can’t reach her. She must be dealing with something similar in her own dimension… Ooh, I hope she’s okay.”

“Darn… we really could use the extra _ fire _ power right now.” Knuckles cracks a half-smile and snickers at his own words before snapping back into his focus. “...Maybe if we’re lucky she’ll show up later, I guess. Uh, Big?”

Amy flashes an awkward grin and rolls her eyes. “He’s guarding the entrance, remember!”

“Oh, right. So, of course, this just leaves Tails, Sonic, Shadow, and Omega…” As he says ‘Shadow’, he can see Rouge’s gaze fall, and his eyes roll away clumsily. “Well uh, hello, members of the Resistance,” he says with a sigh. “Let’s be quick. Silver came back with an update, and it pains me to say that we are officially on the defensive for the time being.” As he says this, the room erupts into a flood of murmurs and worried looks.

Vector punches his palms. “Hey, we got most of the crew together, right? We’ve been doing small scale since we got here, and now we’re just not going to attack after all? What’s the big idea, Knux?”

“It’s… been quite a struggle, as you know. Eggman has been claiming territory at a dangerous rate. His robots are seemingly endless, and while they're no more threatening than before, we’re still outnumbered. As I speak, he has over half the planet on lockdown. Recently, Silver found out that the Windmill Isle in Apotos and the surrounding area has been taken over.” Knuckles clears his throat. “We should have more people on our side, but with that masked man running around, and with what happened to Sonic…” Everyone’s eyes wander as soon as this is said. “...Sorry. With what happened, it’s like everyone is too afraid to join us. The plan was to build an attacking force and start coming together for an assault, but we’re not making any progress, so we’re done with that.”  
Rouge shakes her head, the disappointment clear in her voice. “We’re done? So we’re just not reaching out to anyone else, now?”

“We’d be wasting our time if we kept searching for recruits. We’re going to have to make do with what we have. Besides, we have a new goal...” Knuckles lifts his fist and gives it a solid shake, a triumphant gesture to signify a call to action. “...it’s a strict defense operation now. Because of how quickly Eggman’s moving, attacking just isn’t an option. So before he can crunch us in, we have to cover as much ground as we can with what we have and push him back! To help with that, Silver has something for us.” He turns to Silver, who steps into the dim light of the room as all eyes fall on him.

“Uh, for those who don’t already know, Tails left more than a week ago to fight Eggman himself using a few of the Chaos Emeralds.” Silver’s eyelids drop, a forlorn expression on his face. “I was afraid of this, but as you can see... he hasn’t come back. It’s pretty safe to say that the Emeralds’ power won’t get us anywhere, and of course we can’t just start searching for all seven just to confirm this.” The hedgehog walks over to one of the chests on the table and places a hand on it. “Things aren’t all doom and gloom, though. I’m not really a brains guy, but earlier today I was able to meet Professor Pickle and a few of his friends in Spagonia. And I’m very happy to say that with their help, we may be able to slow Eggman down.”

Everyone closes in on the box in curiosity as Silver opens it, revealing tiny devices by the hundreds. “First, there’s earpiece micro-communicators for everyone. They’re probably not as fancy as the ones Tails uses, but they should be great for when we’re out and about. We’re also going to get some other things for the hideout too, like computers and radars, but this is just enough to get going for the moment. Now, secondly…” Silver begins to open the other container. It is much larger than the first. “Professor Pickle told me he and his colleagues have been studying the Wisps ever since they followed Sonic here. Apparently for a while now he’s been looking for a way to harness their great energy without exhausting them.”

The psychic youth reaches in the box and pulls out one of the odd gadgets. It is red and has a strange dome-like shape with a tube sticking out of it. Lifting a hand, he presents it to the circle, smiling. “What I’m holding is the result of a long-running collaborative project at Spagonia University. The professor and his partners call it the  _ Wispon. _ With this, the Resistance will have more than just a fighting chance.”

There is a collective of oohs and ahhs amongst the multitude. Charmy flies in to give it a closer look. “A Wispon? Woah, cool! Are we all gonna get one?”

Silver places it back in the box and steps away. “Professor Pickle says this is the first working design, and he and his friends can only make so many at the moment. As we speak, he’s working with engineers elsewhere to get more of these made for everyone, but that’s going to take some time. If you know you can already fight, then it’s better that you don’t take one for now. We're also looking to get grappling hooks for everyone soon, but that'll take even longer. The Wispons should be more than enough until then.”

Knuckles speaks up to break the chatter. “Alright, Eggman’s still pushing fast, so with what we have, we’re going to stop his advance. No more, no less. Remember, we’re playing defense, so don’t do anything hasty. Grab some Wispons and let’s get moving.”

* * *

“Switch to Cube and hold your position. They’ll let up soon enough!” An unstoppable force, Knuckles’ fists come crashing into the Egg Pawns with great might. The troops behind him all click a button on their Wispons and swing downwards, the resulting shockwave crystallizing the foes instantly. Knuckles stays in front of them as he moves, asserting his position as the frontline through the power he exudes. Another fist swings and shatters a flyer upon impact.

"A big one's coming up, so go for Burst and melt that metal down to scrap!" As he shouts, another group of Egg Pawns comes into view, seemingly larger in size and of sturdier composition. The troops do as is told and click another button, pushing a trigger as a continuous stream of flames spews forth and converges on the enemy crowd. The Pawns slow down but persist in their movements, and Knuckles resolves to take the matter into his own hands. Swerving to the back, he delivers a few strong jabs to the robots' joints, crippling them entirely as the Wispons focus on their fronts, destroying all chances of an advance on their part.

"Great work, everyone!" As Knuckles and his party continue to bust Badniks along the frosty Ice Cap, he hears a voice speak in his head, and his actions halt.

“This is Silver! The masked man is here in Speed Highway! I’m stepping out. Now’s the best time for you to push in!”

“Ugh, what?! Looks like there's no point in me staying here like this while he’s around. We'll also retreat.”

"Knuckles, we have to at least make  _ some _ progress. You should move in to reclaim the rest of Ice Cap while you can!”

"Can't do that, Silver. We can’t break our defense. It's too dangerous for any of us to stay out at all while Eggman’s friend is on the field." Knuckles turns to his squad and points behind them. “Sorry to kick you guys around like this, but we’re pulling out too.”

“Retreating? Why? We can still fight!”

Knuckles begins making quick steps away from the legion of Egg Pawns, and the loyal troops follow, some more panicked than others. He frowns, making no attempt to hide his disdain in the moment. “The guy who took Sonic is out and about again. We’re not here to take risks.”

With that answer, Knuckles and his squad march back to the Mystic Ruins, his face unchanging from its stoic expression. Along the way, a few of his soldiers complain about the walk back, talk with one another, and make predictions about what will happen, among other things. Their casual, earthy chatter gets Knuckles thinking. He calls them soldiers in part because it sounds really cool and serious, but he acknowledges that they are not “soldiers” in the traditional sense, like the ones on the programs Tails used to talk to him about. The assorted anthromorphs that follow him have had no training, no formal designation, and no hardening in battle. They are simply brave but ultimately unremarkable people who wish to stand for the world they live in. They are the few people he and the others came across who actually wanted to get up and fight. So for their weaknesses and fears, Knuckles finds solace in their company, and he likens these people to himself - their will to fight and protect makes them more than worthy of being called “soldiers” to him.

Knuckles steps onto the soil within the Ruins and looks around. As he makes quiet steps beneath the canopy of trees, he is stopped by a strange distortion in the air which begins to vibrate underneath his feet. “Did you guys feel that?”

“Yeah… what the heck was that?”

“I don’t know…”

With little time to ponder the strange waves, Knuckles and his crew wander the expanse of the twisting rainforest before coming across Big the Cat, who sits quietly beneath a tree. “Hey Big. Mind backing us up?”

“...Ok.”

Fishing rod in hand, Big gets up from his spot and starts waddling deeper into the jungle maze. Knuckles gestures for the others to follow him, slowly trailing behind the large feline as he maneuvers the jungle, unfaltering. The world darkens around the group as they go further in, and soon they come across a incline surrounded by vines and other vegetation. A large door opens up and Big steps back to let Knuckles and company in front of him. “Here you go.”

“Thanks, Big.”

“No problem!” And with that, Big walks off and fades into the thick of the jungle, likely to head to his usual spot beneath the trees.

Knuckles steps into the Resistance HQ and assesses his surroundings - on the left side of the vacant room, a few nondescript faces are sitting around, looking over maps and fiddling with their Wispons like they’re toys. On the right side, Rouge is standing in the corner of the room with folded arms, and Amy is hunched over a large monitor, speaking over a micro-communicator. “What’s going on...?”

“Amy? Are the others back yet?”

Amy’s eyes dart towards Knuckles for a brief moment and she shakes her head. Her focus goes back to the computer monitor, which displays an altitude map of the expansive area around Station Square and the Ruins. “...I don’t know what, but there’s something huge coming up about 500 miles from where you're at! Can you see it?” As she says this, Rouge and Knuckles take positions behind Amy and peer over her. A large object rises some distance away from the base, but the map isn’t detailed enough to show what it is.

Rouge breaks her silence. “Well, isn’t that something… what could it be? Any ideas?”

Knuckles is stone-faced as he looks at the map again. “It’s  _ huge… _ and rising fast… it could be… no, wait...” A chill creeps down his spine as an unpleasant conclusion pops in his head, but he decides to dismiss it.

Amy’s eyes widen and she turns to Knuckles. Her words confirm his worries. “Um… Espio says it’s the  _ Death Egg.” _

“...What?” Knuckles is in disbelief.  _ That was what that rumbling was?  _ “The Death Egg? He rebuilt the entire Death Egg this quickly _?” _

“I’m just as surprised as you are, Knuckles... Silver and the others are heading back here now.” Amy stands up, determined. “We have to get everyone together again and come up with a good plan.”

“Your tenacity is appreciated sweetheart, but we hardly have enough people to pull off any sort of plan”, Rouge mutters, eyes unfocused. “No one else wants to fight for us. They think just because Big Blue’s down, it’s over.”

Knuckles is about to speak when everyone’s thoughts are interrupted by a sharp crackling sound, which incites the party to hold their heads until it fades. A familiar voice speaks through the ears of everyone in the Resistance HQ, sending them into silence.

“To the innocent people of this splendid world: I am Dr. Eggman - owner of great intellect, and the man who will be your ruler!” Everyone’s eyes lower in sync, and the room is quiet. “To the so-called ‘Resistance’: Just give up already and surrender. I already have control over most of the world. Even your precious hero Sonic fell before you. You can’t protect yourselves forever, so why not put down your weapons and give up now? You were lost from the start, and you certainly won’t get anywhere following that foolish echidna.” 

Amy grabs the attention of the grimacing Knuckles and shows him a television feed over the monitor. As she changes the channels, there is only static. “Eggman’s broadcasting this to the entire world.”

“So I invite you to join me. Under the Eggman Empire, I will provide for everyone exactly three meals per day and ample time to rest and recharge. An underground prison- er, I mean... a pristine and beautiful lodging is waiting for you! I hope you’ll make the correct decision.” With that, the static video cuts out and Amy’s monitor shifts back to its standard televised programming.

Amy talks over the micro-communicator. “...Silver? You heard that, right?”

“Yeah, I did. We all did. This is crazy… but we have to look up. I’m entering the Mystic Ruins now. We’ll talk more in a few minutes.”

“Alright, sounds good.” A beep and the connection is severed. “Ugh, I can’t believe this… Oogh, that Eggman…”

Knuckles’ face is scrunched into a frown. Stuck in thought, he paces the room impatiently.

“So… just how long are we going to ‘play defense,’ Knuckles?” Rouge turns towards the Resistance leader, snapping him from his trance. She sports a cool expression, but there is a smudge of concern on the glass. “It hasn’t been more than a few weeks and Eggman already has over half the planet. We still don’t know where Shadow, Tails, or Omega are, and we don’t even know whether Sonic is alive or not.” 

The bat’s eyes lower. “We don’t have enough people on our side, and we’re not taking advantage of who we  _ do _ have. Pickle has some nice gadgets but the few who have them aren’t even using them for an attack.” Rouge frowns. “...As much as I hate to say it, Eggman’s right. We can’t cover ourselves forever. Do you really think this is the right way to go?”

“What do  _ you _ think, Rouge?” Knuckles glowers at her angrily, bearing teeth. She leans back a little, slightly unnerved. “Do you think I’m not trying? Do you think I can’t do this...?” With an inhale he lets out a long sigh, his visage softening. “...Look, I just don’t want to just lead everyone into an attack without preparation…  _ especially _ not after what happened with Tails. He made the choice to go after Eggman himself.” Knuckles tilts his head down, looking at his palms. “We weren’t going to chase after him and get ourselves into trouble too. I feel like Tails would have been the first person to understand that the safe option is the better one. Instead he thought getting Sonic would magically solve all our problems. He saw what happened.”

Hearing Knuckles, Rouge glares contemplatively, but it soon shifts to a smile which spreads across her entire face. And she starts laughing. She laughs so hard she holds her stomach and ends up wiping a tear from her eye. There is a clear catharsis to be found in her actions. “Ahah, woa, when’d you get so insightful, big guy? You definitely don’t sound like the same bonehead I met back on Angel Island.”

Knuckles’ eyes widen at what Rouge says, and then he clears his throat, flattered. “I’ve just made a lot of mistakes, and had a lot of time to myself to learn from them. The  _ world _ is at stake here, Rouge. So now isn’t a good time for me to slip up again.” His eyes suddenly narrow and he growls a little as Rouge’s second sentence sinks in. “H-hey, and I’m not a bonehead!”

“Good to see you still haven’t changed in some ways,” Rouge quips. “...I don’t know, I guess I’m a little worried. ...We really can’t keep this up forever, Knuckles. Sure, what Tails did was hasty, but we’re not actually doing anything standing here like this either. Do you honestly think while the ten or twenty of us are pushing Eggman away, he’s just going to get tired?” She places a hand on Knuckles’ shoulder in a rare act of genuine compassion. “You’re not looking at the big picture. We were having trouble getting more people to join, so you just gave up instead of finding a way around it. We might have even been able to take back Ice Cap if you moved up while Silver was busy. For someone so stubborn, you’ve been pretty quick to call it quits lately.”

Knuckles’ gaze falls as he realizes his mistake. “Hmph... Yeah, you’re right. I just… I wasn’t sure what to do. I still feel like I should have stopped Tails. If I go too far and we lose anyone else...” He speaks with a low tone. “Man, I’m stupid.”

Rouge smiles. “Yeah, you can be, hon. We wouldn’t be here right now if we weren’t ready for this. How are you going to have an army if you’re worried about them actually going out and fighting? Everyone here  _ wants _ to help, so holding us back and having us work ‘defensively’ even when you know there’s things we can do isn’t doing us any favors.”

Knuckles has an epiphany.

“Of all the times I pick to be dumb again…” The echidna exhales, weary. “Thanks for the help, Rouge.” He is about to walk away, but then turns back around to look at her with a bewildered expression. “...Hey, when’d you care so much about me, anyway?”

Rouge smirks. “Oh, don’t get confused. I can’t take the Master Emerald for myself if the Eggman Empire doesn’t even let me walk outside at night!”

Amused, Knuckles grins. “You’re a bad liar.” As he says this, the large door slides open and Silver walks in, followed by the Chaotix. 

“If the Death Egg’s back up, then Eggman’s really going all in this time,” Vector says, holding his head. “We definitely can’t hold out with this few people now! We gotta come up with a plan.”

“I’ve got an idea.” Stricken with inspiration, Knuckles turns to Silver. “I need you and Amy to do that thing Eggman just did.”  
Silver squints an eye. “...You mean a broadcast?”

“Yeah, that. Set up a… broadcast like Eggman’s and make it work with my micro-communicator. Make sure the whole world can hear me.”

Silver does as is told and walks over to Amy’s computer, pressing buttons and looking everything over. “Alright, you’ll be live in ten seconds.” He smiles at Knuckles, as if immediately understanding.

Amy steps away from the computer, and Knuckles seems to pick up on her confusion when he looks in her direction. “You’ll see.”

“Live in five, Knuckles!”

“Alright!” As Silver counts down the last five seconds, Knuckles stands in the center in of the room, looking forward. His eyes are fierce but he is glowing with confidence and vigor, a smile on his face. When it’s his cue, he speaks, and he has the world’s attention.

“Can anyone hear me? This is Knuckles the Echidna, the chief commanding officer of the Resistance Army in our fight against Eggman. I can’t talk for long, so let me get straight to the point.” He closes his eyes and sighs a great sigh of relief. “...We need your help. Do you see what Eggman is doing? ‘This splendid world’... do you hear that mess!? Don’t be fooled - the only thing he wants is to  _ own _ the world and make it his toy to play with! Soon, we’re going to come up with a strategy to stop that egghead. But to do this, we’ll need more manpower. That’s where you come in. You don’t need experience, and it doesn’t matter how old you are.” 

Knuckles lifts his fist and gives it a strong shake. His call to action. “All you need is a will to fight and protect! That’s the only requirement to be a soldier. That’s the only thing the Resistance needs to succeed!” Everyone in the base has their eyes on Knuckles, whose conviction has them all captivated. “...Sonic’s down, but that doesn’t mean it’s the end. Far from it. We’re going to take things into our own hands, now. All of us, together. I can’t make you join, but if you do, we’ll welcome you with open arms. That’s all.”

Amy pushes a button and with a beep the broadcast ends. She has a big smile on her face. “Aw, that was great, Knuckles!”

Espio shuts his eyes in contemplation. “A moving speech indeed. But are you certain this will improve our circumstances?”

Silver answers. “I speak for Knuckles when I say I know it will. Everyone feels hopeless because Sonic’s gone. But sooner or later the world needs to understand that no matter what happens, nothing is lost, not as long as you have your own two feet.”

“Silver gets it.” Knuckles grins. “Tonight, we’ll start scouting for more people and make sure everyone who wants to join knows how to go through the Mystic Ruins. I'm expecting our army to at least triple. After that…” He catches Rouge wink at him out the corner of his eye, and he can’t help but smile. “...After that, we’re going on the offensive. No more stalling. No more uphill battles. We’ll retrieve Sonic, and we’ll turn this war around. I’m a Guardian - it’s one thing for Eggman to take the Master Emerald, but it’s another thing for him to try and take the planet. As long as I stand here - as long as  _ we _ stand here - he's not winning this one.”   
  



	5. Retrieve Our Lost Hope! Through The Spaceport!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A new recruit joins the fray; Knuckles sends the Resistance to catch a shuttle in Eggman's Spaceport.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Valentine's Day, everyone!

“If I could get everyone’s attention? We’ve been doing great so far, and it looks like our efforts are paying off! It makes me very happy to say Amy has some good news for us.”

SIlence falls over the group as their eyes all shift to Amy in unison. She has a grin that stretches across her entire face, and it doesn’t fade in the slightest.

“...For a while now, Gemerl and Rouge have been working to monitor and survey Eggman’s territory, with good progress, too.” Rouge winks in her direction. “Today, thanks to them, we have our most valuable piece of information yet!” Amy pauses for a moment as everyone awaits her revelation. There’s a few seconds of awkward silence before she finally breaks it. “...As of today, we finally have an exact location on Sonic!”

Espio speaks up. “Excellent news indeed. Where is he located?”

Knuckles responds, pacing slowly in a small line. “...The Death Egg’s orbiting prison. There’s no ifs, ands, or butts about this one, guys. Gemerl’s sensors picked up Sonic’s energy signal there, and Rouge’s survey matched up. He’s still hanging in there.”

“Apparently, Eggman didn’t want to finish Sonic off just yet, so he moved him to the Death Egg,” Rouge says. “He wants to show Sonic his completed Empire first before banishing him. Ooh, it’s just like that Doctor...”

Everyone shares anxious looks. Vector scratches his head. “The Death Egg? That’s not good.”

“C’mon Vector, to see  _ you _ complaining?” A smirk crosses Knuckles’ face. “I know you’re all worried, but the Death Egg is nothing we can’t handle. Now’s the best time to move out and start a plan to retrieve Sonic.”

Charmy zooms across the room in an excited frenzy. “Aw yeah, we’re gonna get Sonic back!”

“That’s right! From here I’m going to start splitting everyone up. We’ll need to tackle this in separate groups, so that masked jerk can’t stop us all in our tracks. I know we haven’t seen him much as of lately, but we’re better safe than sorry. Now before we get moving, Silver’s going to give us the recruitment news for today.”

Silver steps up, taking a position beside Knuckles and clearing his throat. “Though we definitely have a lot more volunteers now than we did some time ago, things have been kind of slow as of late. Today we have exactly one new recruit.” Silver’s eyes roll to the left to focus on a previously unnoticed figure. The figure - a bespectacled red wolf - stands up from the corner of the room and shuffles next to Silver in silence.

“H-hi, everyone.”

“This is Buddy. He was the only survivor in his region after Eggman attacked. When we found him, he told us that he wanted to join our cause and fight for our world! Everyone, let’s give him a warm welcome!” Silver begins to clap and the others soon follow, and in response Buddy merely shifts his eyes away and blushes.

“There you have it. Our brave rookie here is going to be assigned to the main squad in our mission to rescue Sonic. We’ll have the specifics in a few minutes, so until then, try to make him feel at home.” With this, Knuckles steps out, igniting an explosion of assorted chatter amongst the remainder.

Charmy hovers in front of Buddy and squints his eyes. “So you’re gonna be in the main squad, huh? You don’t look like much.” Buddy only grins awkwardly in response, adjusting his glasses.

Vector is quick to chew the bee out. “Charmy, quit messin’ with the rookie! You don’t look like much either, but me and Espio still manage to find a use for your pointy butt.”

Buddy sits down and speaks again, a slight smile spread across his face as he pushes his glasses up again. “I don’t know how much help I can be… But I’ll do my best for you all. I’ve only really heard stories, so it’s nice to finally meet you guys.” 

Espio nods and smiles. “Likewise. How is your ability with the Wispon?”

“Oh, well, Knuckles took me through the field training, and well...”

“...Then that should be  _ more _ than sufficient. My name is Espio,” the chameleon says, bowing gracefully. “I look forward to joining forces with you.”

Buddy gives a slight bow in return and chuckles sheepishly. “Thank you, Espio.”

When greetings are all said and done, things at the Resistance HQ seem to slow to a crawl. The air, even when filled with idle chitchat, is anxious and tense as the minutes leading up to their big mission fade with the day’s passing. Some people come and go, and Buddy is talking with the others.

“Hey Vector, can I talk to you in private for a sec?” Amy folds her arms at the crocodile from her side of the room.

Vector’s gaze narrows as he looks to the left, and then to the right, making sure no stray ears or eyes would compromise Amy’s request for communication. When he believes everything is clear, he does a painfully un-subtle shuffle across the floor before quickly pulling the hedgehog into one of the private quarters, darting his eyes around again and shutting the door behind him. He clears his throat and closes an eye, stretching a little and wishing he had a cool hat to put on right now. “What can I help ya with, miss?”

Amy merely rolls her eyes and smirks in response, ever-amused by his PI theatrics. “...It’s about the new recruit. He said he’s only really done the field training. So why would Knuckles place him in the main squad?”

“Hey, maybe the guy’s really good with a Wispon,” Vector says, shrugging. “Some people catch on fast, ya know!”

“Oh, I guess you’re right. I just don’t want him to get seriously hurt out there…”

Vector laughs. “Heh, you’re not fallin’ for the rookie now, are ya?”

Amy’s pupils appear to thin, as if to say ‘excuse me’? She looks to the ground and a giggle escapes her mouth. “You know… Ever since I got this position, my hammer has been just _ dying  _ for some Badniks to smash,” she says, grinning wickedly. “Oh Vex, I guess  _ you’ll _ just have to do...”

“Hey, hey, wait! I’m just sayin’... Is it really our job to get all worried about the recruits? They just want to bust some bot like me and you. Besides, I’m sure our rookie’s got a trick or two up his sleeve.” Vector folds his arms. “Knuckles may not be the brightest bulb in the box, but I figure he’d know better than to send a fresh recruit out on a mission like this unless it were for a good reason.”

With this, Amy steps towards the door. “...Yeah, I guess you’re right. I really shouldn’t be too worried. It’s just, you know what happened with Tails...” Suddenly, she flicks her wrist and turns back around, aiming her Piko Piko Hammer at Vector’s head and clenching her teeth a little as he shrinks in reply. “...Rrgh, look, I just want you to understand something. My heart may belong to Sonic, but in the end I still don’t want  _ anyone _ getting hurt. You’re all my friends, and Buddy… well, he’s just a friend I haven’t gotten to know yet!” Her tightened expression slackens a little, and her features soften. “This may be our chance to turn things around for good, but I still don't want to lose anyone… I don’t want to lose anyone _ else _ if I know we can help it. That includes you, and that includes Buddy. So you’ll watch him and be safe out there, alright?”

“Alright!” Vector blurts out, shielding himself with his hands.

“...Promise me you’ll be careful?”

“Yeah, sure!”

“I said promise!”

Vector waves his hands over his face defensively, turning his head away. “Yeah, yeah, ‘friends are nice’, ‘don’t get hurt’, I hear ya, I heard, I promise... just put the weapon away!”

“...Great! Let’s go, then. Sonic’s counting on us!” Amy flicks her wrist again, and her hammer vanishes from sight as she turns for the briefing room.

“Jeez…” The crocodile grimaces, but his mouth opens again as a question crosses his mind. “Hey, wait. Amy.”

“Yeah?”

“D’ya think Tails is okay out there?”

Amy gives him a verbal answer, but the glow in her smile almost makes for an equally satisfactory response. “Of course I do. He’s  _ Sonic’s  _ best friend for a reason! I know he’s hurting a little… but he’ll find his way back to us soon. I just know it... and my heart’s never wrong!”

Vector closes his eyes and sighs as the pinkette walks out of the room, tipping an invisible hat over his eyes. “Heh, well, let’s hope so, miss.”

* * *

“Squad One! Vector, Silver, Buddy. Is everyone there?”

“Silver here. We’ve arrived at the entrance safe and sound!”

“Good to hear. Let’s go over the mission one last time for our big rookie.”

Buddy makes hurried steps behind Vector and Silver as Knuckles speaks, clutching his Wispon tightly in his hand. The air is frosty, and he’s extra careful not to slip on the sheets of ice that layer the ground.

“The spaceport in this chemical plant is our ticket to the Death Egg’s prison sector. All Squad One has to do is find a shuttle and hop it. Though it’s still active, thankfully it looks like Eggman’s personally abandoned this plant for the time being, so you shouldn’t run into too much trouble.”

Buddy acknowledges the truth in Knuckles’ deduction - the plant has very few Badniks guarding its systems, and the ones that are there seem to be further up ahead, in sparse amounts.

“Squad Two is Espio and Charmy, leading the other volunteers in Squads Three through Five. They’re following a path like yours, except they’re taking the orbital tunnel and cleaning up there. They’re going to be the distraction. Espio will be taking an alternate route to meet up with Squad One, and Charmy will take the other recruits back to HQ. I know being the distraction sounds more dangerous, but believe me when I say you guys are the ones doing all the heavy lifting in the long run.” As he says this, Buddy audibly gulps. “This is going to be tough, but we’re all counting on each other here. With all that said, I want everyone to get moving! The sooner, the better!”

Buddy straightens up and gives a salute, grinning. “Sir, yes, sir!” Taking that as their cue, the trio speed off along the icy pathway, swerving amongst the inactive pipes and machinery littered about. Vector makes a sturdy strut in front of his comrades, and Silver follows, with Buddy in tow. Their steps are quick and the path ahead is mostly barren, but given time the uninvolving journey is broken up by the sight of a number of robotic foes.

“Alright boys, let’s clean ‘em up!” Vector hesitates little in jumping forward to bring his powerful jaws into a nearby bot, crushing them instantly as Silver holds them in place. Buddy only stands by and watches in awe, eyes sparkling as he witnesses Vector and Silver sweep Eggman’s robots in their combined efforts. He finds it unbelievably cool to see them fight, watching as they work in sync and merge their power to fell their foe. He only moves once Vector snaps him from his trance. “C’mon rookie - you did the training, didn’t you? Use _ Burst _ if you’re gonna hang in the back!”

“Oh, r-right!” Buddy pushes a button and holds the trigger in Vector and Silver’s direction, looking to smelt the cluster of robots from his position. His hand shakes a little as he fires, and his eyes narrow as he tries to steady his aim. Flames shoot forward and scrap the machines ahead of him as Vector snaps into them, growling. Before they can go any further, two large flying Badniks zoom over the party’s heads, one of them very nearly clipping the larger Vector by the arm.

Buddy bends his knees a little, turning around to aim his Wispon at the fliers, his hand wavering a little. “Ah, d-does he know we’re here?”

“It’s possible, but it’s more likely that they spotted us on their own. I’ll hold them still while you and Vector have at it!” Silver turns to position himself parallel to Buddy, and then takes a few steps back as one of the larger bird-like foes speeds in, raising his hand to stop it in its path. “Now!”

Vector brings a fist into the Badnik, and Buddy follows up with a torrent of flames that shatters it, only to be nearly ran over by its remaining pal. “Ah! They’re fast…!”

The psychic youth narrows his eyes and lifts a hand again as a few more of the fliers steer in on the trio, causing them to slow to a halt. “It’s fine. Break it up and let’s keep moving!” Sturdy and strong, Vector takes care of the job with great efficiency, gritting his teeth as he tugs Buddy along down the icy pathway. 

A voice rings in the trio’s ears. “This is Espio. My team is engaging the enemy in the orbital tunnel. We should be able to hold them off for now.”

Silver responds immediately, nodding in affirmation. “Sounds good, Espio! We’ll keep moving from here.”

The journey from then is a fairly slow and uneventful jog, and a few times the wolf slows down, distracted by the allure of the strange new environment. 

“Stay focused, rookie. We’re off to find a shuttle!” Vector snarls a little and shudders, clearly uncomfortable with the frigid environment.

“R-right, of course! Sorry… it’s just kind of nice out here.”

Vector squints. “Eh, I guess… but I don’t see anything nice about a place like this. Nope, too cold for me. My office was way comfier.”

“Office? Woah, you run a business?” Buddy’s amber eyes sparkle with intrigue. “That sounds really cool!”

The crocodile gives a toothy grin as they step into the dim lights of a straightaway. “Yeah, I do! The Chaotix Detective Agency. Maybe you’ve heard of it?”

Buddy shakes his head, looking at the croc with a forlorn expression. “...Oh, I’m sorry, I d-don’t think I have.”

“What? Really?” Vector places a hand on his snout and grimaces. “Man, kids these days. Yo, Silver?”

“Yeah?” When Silver replies, he slows his pace, scanning the air with an attentive eye. The cold seems to have no effect on him, and he turns his head only slightly, still focused on the path ahead.

“You gotta tell me… in any of your futures, do the Chaotix get real big and famous?”

They come across an assortment of crates which obstruct their path, and Silver steps in front of the trio to take action. His body glows and he lifts a hand as the crates part ways, allowing the party a way through. When that’s done, he turns back around to Vector and gives him an awkward grin through closed teeth. “...I don’t think there’s a single answer I could give you that you’d be happy with, Vector.”

“Aww, what…”

Buddy places a hand to his mouth, finding it hard to hold back a little giggle. Vector can be heard groaning to himself as the trio begin to pick up speed, returning focus to the task at hand. As soon as they are able to regain their momentum, the trio hears a beeping in their ears which very nearly stops them in their tracks. It’s Espio. “Watch out! The masked one’s here. The monster that took down Sonic!”

Silver responds as he hops up a few platforms, peering out into the distance. “What? Hang in there, Espio. We’ll get to that shuttle as fast as we can!” He turns to Vector and Buddy. “Let’s speed things up, guys. From here it gets kind of steep, so we’re going to need to make some jumps.”

“J-jumps?” Buddy grits his teeth.

“Well, I can make some, anyway. See that track back there?” He points to an empty train track. “In about a minute, a few cargo trains are supposed to come out of there. When they do, we’re going to try to jump on top of one. From there, we can land on that pipe on the other side.”

Vector groans. “We’re all gonna just jump for it? I’m not exactly a featherweight. Who says I can make it?”

The psychic youth cocks his head to the side. “Try not to worry about it. In your case, I’ll land first, and then pull you closer to me before you fall. And Buddy?”

“Y-yes?”

“You’ve got a grappling hook, and you know how to use that, right?”

“Yeah…”

“We’ll head off first then, and you can follow, if that’s alright. You won’t catch the first one, but you should be able to catch the third coming out, at the least.”

“O-okay, sounds good!”

Silver sprints ahead with a focused expression and Vector and Buddy follow up as they pick up speed down the surface of a pipe. The cargo train begins to pull out, prompting Silver to get low to prepare for a jump. “Let’s go!” With that signal, the hedgehog leaps off of the pipe and lifts his hand, slowing his descent as he lands safely on top of the moving train as it picks up speed. With a throaty shout Vector follows behind him, and Silver is able to slow his fall as well, allowing him to stick the landing. From there, they leap off of the cargo train to another pipe network and step onwards, with Silver turning to shout behind him. “Come on, rookie! Before you miss the next one!”

“Right!” Buddy takes a little longer to follow, but makes his jump, only to feel a pit of regret forming in his stomach as he looks down to see the drop below him. With little time to contemplate what would happen should he mess up, he reaches peak height and presses his palm, the grappling hook shooting from his wrist to hook onto a horizontal beam in front of him. The wolf can’t help but grit his teeth as the frosty air nibbles at him during his swing, his stomach dropping as he stacks momentum. With a shift of the body, he hits his low point over the electronic chasm and begins to fly forward, detaching his hook at the peak. Zooming through the air, it is here that he realizes his mistake.

“Watch it, rookie! You gotta slow down!” Vector shouts in his earpiece, just barely heard over the frosty winds. There’s no going back now - having overshot his flight, time slows and Buddy’s eyes widen as he speeds past the moving cargo train. _ I can do this, I can do this!  _ Clenching a hand, he grunts as he desperately tries to dig his fingers into one of the boxcars while he passes over it, hoping to slow himself down and avoid tumbling forward into the chasm below. It works, to an extent. He prevents himself from missing the car entirely, but is now hanging by one arm, struggling to pull himself up as the cargo approaches a low-clearance tunnel at a rapid rate.  _ No, no... _

Silver speaks through Buddy’s earpiece. “Just let yourself fall, rookie! I can jump in and pull you out!”

“N-no, I can do this...!” With a little concentration, Buddy is able to pull himself on top of the car. He finds himself carried towards the tunnel as he gets to his feet, and thinking quick, he looks up and shoots his hook at a nearby communications tower, pulling himself through the air. He sees for only a brief second the small specks that make up Vector and Silver, who wait for him as multi-colored ants within the cold. The wolf’s mid-air suspension lasts for only a brief moment before he drops back down, and a severe urgency kicks in when he learns he’s about to touch down in the path of a fast-moving cargo train. 

Buddy can hear Vector shouting on the other end of the line. “Rookie! What’d we say?! Silver, toss me up there!”

The seconds that pass appear to slow down. Buddy’s body tenses up as he hears the train coming in from the left of him, and with that he acts as fast as he can.

“I… can… do this…!” Flinging his wrist forward, Buddy shoots his grappling hook off at another stray beam and pulls himself out, less than a second away from being smashed into by the oncoming vehicle. Keeping his arms close, he closes his eyes as he blasts forward and prepares for a rough, painful landing, only opening them when he stops feeling the wind around his face.

“S-Silver?”

The first thing the rookie sees upon opening his eyes is Silver, who returns the stare with a wide-eyed expression and a raised hand, a teal aura enveloping him. Behind Silver is Vector, who is floating in midair and folding his arms with a scowl. Silver exhales, the weariness clear on his face as he sets Buddy and Vector safely on the ground before opening his mouth to speak.

“T-that was some quick thinking… but that was still super dangerous, rookie. I don’t think you’d have wanted me to toss Vector at you,” he says with an awkward laugh.

“Yeah, I know… s-sorry.” Buddy rubs the back of his head and then lifts a few fingers to adjust the glasses on his face, which have been jostled from their position by the turbulent winds.

Silver is about to speak again when Vector steps in to give the recruit a mouthful. “You’re tellin’ me! I thought you said you knew how to use the grappling hook! Overshooting like that - you could have seriously gotten messed up…!”

“I do know how! It’s j-just… I got a little scared, and…” The rookie stutters over his words, and then simply purses his lips, eyes rolling to the side in shame.

“Try to relax,” Silver says calmly, quick to diffuse the situation. “He made it out alright, didn’t he? You’re doing fine, rookie. We should just focus on the shuttle now, since we’re close.”

The crocodile pops a piece of bubblegum in his mouth and turns around. “Yeah, alright… I wanna get out of this cold, anyway…”

From there they step onwards toward the launchpad as Amy chimes in. “It’s all clear, everyone! There should be a shuttle just ahead. Grab it before they sound the alert!”

The frosty flooring only gets icier as they get closer to their destination, and a few times Silver catches himself slipping along the thin sheets. Soon they run out of ground, and with nowhere else to run, Vector hops onto a carrier rail and begins sliding across it, with Silver quick to follow. Buddy stumbles a little as he watches them, then closes his eyes as he takes a leap of faith, plopping onto a rail and balancing with the rest of them as he grits his teeth anxiously. The large shuttle soon comes into view, and Vector immediately points it out. “Aw, perfect! Eggman won’t mind if we borrow this for a while!”

Approaching their goal, Silver maintains a focused eye at the sight - pleased with the progress being made, he opens his mouth to speak over the com. “Knuckles, we’ve found the shuttle. We’ll be boarding it soon!” He leaps off of the rails after Vector to touch the ground once more, expending some of his energy to guarantee the following Buddy a safe landing. He lifts his head and sighs, some of his tension gone.

It’s then that Espio leaps in from above, greeting the trio with a simple bow. “Greetings.”

Knuckles’ enthusiasm can be heard loud and clear. “...Great work, Squad One! Squads Two through Five, what’s the status?”

“Charmy here! I’m taking the other rookies back right now! Everything’s all good!”

“We tried to make our retreat as soon as the masked one showed up,” Espio says, as stoic as ever. “An unexpected result - he withdrew as well.”

Vector laughs, pulling the chameleon close. “Heh, you must have scared him off pretty good, Espio!”

“I can only hope that was what happened. As soon as he saw us, it seemed like he was preparing for an offense... and yet he didn’t attack at all. He proceeded in the opposite direction and we did not see him again.”

With this slew of information, the crocodile’s eyes narrow as the gears start to turn in his head. “...Huh, alright…”

“I’m pleased to say that this means it’s likely he won’t be there to oppose us on the Death Egg, but I have my concerns, regardless.” Espio closes his eyes, seemingly in deep thought.

“Eh, don’t worry, Esp! We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.”

“I suppose, but-”

“...I d-don’t want to rush anyone, but c-could we please get in the shuttle, now?” Buddy is standing in the back, rubbing his arms and shuddering in place. His glasses are fogged up to the point where his eyes are hidden. “I-it’s starting to get  _ really _ cold out here…”

Silver grins. “That would be a good idea. I didn’t want to admit it, but I’m a little on the chilly side, too.”

“Hey rookie, earlier you said you liked it... guess you got all the cool air you needed after that stunt of yours!” Vector grins, patting the young wolf on the back before shuddering a little himself. The rookie merely folds his arms and pouts in response. “W-well, I’m glad you’re seeing things my way. Whaddaya say we hop on board and see if this craft has a hot cocoa machine or something?”

A smile on his face, Buddy looks up at Vector and gives him a nod of approval. “Ah, sounds good!”   
  



	6. Danger in the Dark! The Quiet of Prison Hall

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Squad One tries to cool down as they approach the second part of their mission; Buddy questions himself as he journeys through the Prison Hall.

“Man, there’s nothing here!” Vector is looking under seats and checking boxes, squinting his eyes as he searches. “You’d think Eggman would keep a jar of peanuts in a compartment or something at least.”

Silver tilts his head, a puzzled expression on his face. “These shuttles seem to exist just to transport materials and workers to the Death Egg and back. I don’t think Eggman is really the type of person to offer in-flight snacks.”

“Hmph… crush my dreams again, why don’t ya...” Vector plops down in a seat and folds his arms, frowning.

Buddy is pressing his face against one of the big shuttle windows, looking outside with sparkling eyes as they exit the atmosphere. “W-we’re really in space… This is so cool!” His expression softens as he turns to the right, noticing the psychic hedgehog gazing out into the black as well. “Um, excuse me... Silver? Sir?”

The youth’s ears jut upwards at hearing Buddy’s voice, and he turns to him with a smile. “Oh, Buddy! Good job on your first mission, by the way.”

“...Good job?”

“You’re fast with the grappling hook. That move back at the spaceport shows you’re quick on your feet. Uh, thanks to you, we were all able to make it out okay!”

Buddy frowns, looking down pitifully. “But I wouldn’t have had to do anything like that if I didn’t get scared and overshoot the train… You could have just left without me.”

Silver’s face tightens as Buddy pokes holes in his empty praise, and he turns away to nibble at his lip nervously. “I m-mean… We’re all going to make a mistake or two. The best we can do when things get bad is to just keep going. If I gave up after a few mistakes, I wouldn’t be here to help you out.”

The wolf sits on those words for a moment, content enough with the esper’s attempt to save face. A question surfaces. “...Is this your first time going into space, too?”

“Yeah… everything feels so small from here. The planet looks really nice… it’s kind of odd.” 

“Huh...?”

Silver turns to the window again with a curious expression. They’re now cruising in the black of space, the planet just a large sphere underneath their gaze. “Oh, sorry… It’s just crazy to know we all stand on that giant ball… To know there’s billions of people like us down there, trying to live and smile for the next day.”

The wolf listens intently, placing his hands in his lap and nodding with a concerned look.

“...Eggman probably sees the world the way we’re seeing it right now. Just a big ball with a bunch of things on it. I don’t think he understands what everyone has to go through, so to him, the planet and the people on it are just something else he wants, and thinks he deserves.”

Buddy looks down and lowers his eyes, shuddering a little. When Silver sees this, he turns away and grits his teeth anxiously, balling up his hands. “Ah, sorry! Maybe that’s a little heavy... But this is exactly why we’re doing what we’re doing. Eggman still has to get through us, right?”

Understanding, the rookie looks at Silver and nods, the smile returning to his face. “Right!”

With this, the rookie returns to staring outside again, taking in the starry nothingness with innocent eyes as the Death Egg slowly comes into view. 

Meanwhile, Espio is sitting in the corner of the bay with closed eyes, sinking into thought again. Silver moves to speak to him with a slightly worried expression. “Is something wrong, Espio? You’ve been pretty quiet since we got on board.”

“Not particularly. I’ve only been contemplating the actions of our foe.”

“The masked guy?”

“Yes. Vector had a hypothesis.”

Vector steps in to add his two cents. “I could see if the guy were trying to harass the other squads, but Espio says he just didn’t attack at all. You’d think Eggman would’ve have jumped at the chance to get that flying weenie to blast us or somethin’!” The crocodile rubs his chin. “If you ask me, I’m thinkin’ he’s protecting something… planning ahead for a bigger attack down the line.”

“Hmmh, it’s possible…”

There is a sound of static as Knuckles speaks through everyone’s communicators, snapping the team into immediate focus. “Everyone enjoying the flight? Take a deep breath or two, because once you get to the Death Egg, it’s going to get rough.”

Buddy shudders.

A female voice chimes in soon enough, and the party recognizes it as Rouge the Bat. “Hello, boys. I’ll be the one guiding you through the inside of the Death Egg. Aren’t you lucky?”

Silver narrows his eyes, leaning in to Espio. “Ah... is ‘lucky’ really the right word…?”

Espio simply shakes his head and cracks a half-smile in response.

“Mm, did you say something, future boy?”

“N-nothing at all, please continue.”

Rouge continues. “As I was saying, we’ve got enough data now to get you to where Sonic should be. Orbiting the Death Egg are multiple facilities for holding prisoners and other resources. The ship you’re on is automated to make a stop at Egg Gate 3A. I don’t have an exact location, but it’s safe to say Sonic is actually being contained one sector away from you, in Gate 3B. You should see him as soon as you reach it, so the real issue is breaking through 3A, which is heavily guarded.”

Knuckles overtakes her with his voice. “Of course, that’s where you guys come in. Rouge will get you on the right track, but I had Espio tag along for a reason - once he gets in there, he’ll be able to sense Sonic’s exact location if Eggman decides to rough things up.” Espio lets out a “hmph” in acknowledgement, eyes closed as he faces the front of the shuttle.

Buddy’s eyes appear to sparkle at hearing this, and he looks in Espio’s direction with big yellow eyes.  _ He can sense people? That’s so cool! Ooh, I wonder if…  _ The wolf begins to slowly get up from his seat.

Knuckles’ voice begins to fade as he finishes speaking to the team. “Well, you know what to do. You’ll reach the Egg Gate in less than 5 minutes. Sit tight and enjoy the ride!” A crackle and his voice vanishes, while Silver and Vector share smiles. There’s an awkward silence following the cut of communications, which is slowly broken by the duo, who chatter amongst each other. Buddy carefully steps in the direction of Espio, whose back faces him. He lifts a brow, and then a hand, waving it behind the chameleon.

_ Does he know I got up? Can he see me? _

“I can indeed see you.”

“Wh-!” The wolf stumbles back, clenching his teeth. He soon jumps up in astonishment, a flurry of questions spewing from him. “You really can… detect my energy? Woah, how did you learn to do that?! D-do you have to be in perfect sync with your surroundings or something?”

“I merely listened to your voice. You were whispering to yourself.”

“...O-oh…” Buddy pushes his glasses up on his face, blushing nervously.

“I don’t need to sense your energy to know that you’ve been apprehensive since our mission began, rookie.” The chameleon finally turns to Buddy and opens an eye, his stoic expression unchanging. “Ease your mind with the knowledge that we fight as a unit. You should never feel you must face a situation alone. Do you understand that?”

The wolf’s eyes lower for a moment, his mind wandering a few paces backwards from Espio’s words, back to what Silver said.  _ Keep going…  _ And now, “never face it alone.” He was learning a lot.

Taking the advice to heart the best way he can, Buddy moves to salute his comrade in arms with a strong hand. “Yes, sir!”

Espio merely nods before turning back around, focus locked on the front window as the Egg Gate comes into view within the black.

* * *

 

“Alright, boys, remember what I said. Don’t even worry about staying quiet, Eggman likely knows you’re here at this point. We’re counting on you!”

“Of course, Rouge! We won’t let you down.”

The dryness of the air inside Egg Gate 3A makes it evident that little effort was put into maintaining any sort of comfort for those unfortunate enough to end up here. The crew quickly step through the dimly lit, vacant hall, small lights on the side working as their only illumination during their trek into the deep. The hall soon opens up into a much larger corridor, as rails carry cargo above them. It’s eerily vacant and the air is hot - this sends chills crawling up everyone’s spines.

“Jeez, I already almost miss the space port! I can hardly breathe up here,” Vector remarks.

“No air conditioning,” Espio says in a gravely serious tone, coughing a little. “Doctor Eggman truly is an evil man.”

Buddy chuckles. “I kind of like the way it’s designed, though. It seems like he has a lot of experience building bases.”

“Hah, you’re tellin’ us!” Vector laughs heartily as they walk, grinning wide. “When Sonic was around, he cleared the Doctor’s bases left and right! But once, Eggman built this weird carnival that me, Espio and Charmy had to take down by ourselves! It was one heck of a trip…”  
A faint smile crosses the chameleon’s face as the memory returns to him. “That it was. Do you remember he built a large red Metal Sonic? I recall Charmy had nightmares for weeks after the ordeal.”

“That’s right, yeah!” Vector pounds his fist into his hand happily, enjoying their moment of reminiscence. “Those were good times. We got paid then, anyway!”

“I suppose I can’t completely relate… I haven’t dealt with Eggman as much as you guys have. But I know just enough to say he’s trouble.” Silver sighs. “The future isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Even with Eggman, I’d rather stay back here if I could.”

Vector scratches his head. “So why can’t ya? The Chaotix could really use a psychic detective!”

A faint blush crosses Silver’s face at Vector’s passive invitation, and he simply wiggles his fingers in the air with a grin. “Timey-wimey stuff,” the hedgehog says bluntly. “If I stick around for too long without fixing anything, I’ll end up erasing myself from existence.”

“Oh, huh…” Vector scratches his head awkwardly, unsure how to respond. “And here I thought it was because the fans in our office didn’t work…”

The wolf keeps a fair pace behind them through the machinery-flooded hall and listens intently, honestly entertained by the tales of the past. After a moment’s hesitation, he slips into the conversation with a statement of his own. “I’ve never really met Sonic before,” he blurts out, just barely audible enough for the others to hear him. “What is he like?”

“He’s an alright guy,” the crocodile responds with a cheeky grin. “Me and him go  _ way _ back! He doesn’t know when to shut his big mouth sometimes, though… but I guess I don’t either!” Vector closes his eyes and lets loose a good-natured cackle.

“He has the free spirit of a ronin, but the nobility of a true samurai. I admire his capabilities in combat,” Espio adds. “I’ve been very curious about the secret to his immeasurable speed.”

“He’s given me more chances than I deserve,” Silver says, rubbing the back of his head. “I have this… tendency to screw things up. So I’m grateful there’s no hard feelings between us.”

“Will he… like me?”

“Why wouldn’t he? You got a good head on your shoulders, kid!” Vector seems so confident in saying that, and it has a warming effect on the rookie. Buddy is comforted by these voices, who tell him of this legend he has yet to meet. It makes him all the more willing to push forward and prove himself.

A few more minutes of deliberate movement through the dark, and the team finds themselves stumbling in the middle of a large room. All methods of escape seem to be cut off as the door slams behind them. It’s still narrow and small, and for the wolf, panic quickly sets in.

“W-what happened? There’s supposed to be a door here, r-right? Are we stuck...?” Buddy’s eyes are rapidly rolling around the dark room in worry, looking for some sort of escapeway to lock on to. He lifts his Wispon and switches it to Burst, already wiggling his finger at the trigger as he aims at a wall.

Silver lifts a hand to halt Buddy, and the youth slowly lowers his Wispon to the ground. “P-please try not to get hasty, Rookie. Take a deep breath.” He places a finger to his chin, trying to keep his own composure, but his breathing grows heavier as he walks in Espio’s direction, his words coming out more erratically than before. “But this doesn’t make sense… We just ran right into a dead end? That doesn’t… I c-can’t quite...”

“It’d be best if you took some deep breaths of your own, Silver,” Espio says sternly. 

Silver looks in his direction and then turns away in mild shame, and he does just that, inhaling and exhaling slowly as his wits come to him. “Right… I should be setting an example here…”

The rookie himself is looking around with wide eyes, shaking the Wispon in his hands. “E-Espio! H-how can you be so calm about this, sir! There’s no way out…”

“I’m simply trying to understand the situation,” Espio says, walking to a corner of the room. “I know there must be an escape from here. I understand your worries, but keep my words in mind. Rouge, come in.”

As he says this, he glances in Buddy’s direction. The wolf wiggles at his glasses, slowly nodding. “Ah… r-right… I’m okay… I’ll be okay...”

Rouge’s voice fades in again. “What’s wrong?”

Vector speaks up, practically shouting in Espio’s ear. “We’re stuck here! I thought you said this was the way through?”

“It is, hon... There should be a walkway just ahead of you guys. Don’t you see it?”

Espio turns to the right, and the others follow suit. “I’m afraid not. Are you certain that this is correct?” 

Silver slowly tilts his head upwards, and a lightbulb goes off. “No, wait, it looks like the wall on this side doesn’t reach all the way up to the ceiling. There’s something up there, but it’s a little too dark to make it out. Rookie, if you could help us out?”

Buddy nods and aims his Wispon towards the ceiling, tapping the trigger for a moment as flames spew out to light the area, revealing a series of pulleys that protrude from the high roof. “Ah, sir! That’s our way out! But how’re we going to reach it…”

As this is said, waves upon waves of armored Egg Pawns soon drop from a hatch in the ceiling, forcing the party into conflict.

Espio starts off - pulling out kunai, he flings several of them into nearby foes, fragments of metal popping out of the foes’ backsides. Rouge speaks again, hearing the commotion. “Alright, so those Egg Pawns are the security. The pulleys you’re seeing should lower when they’re all taken care of. Simple, right?”

Vector laughs, forcing his fist directly into the torso of a Pawn before pulling it out as it explodes helplessly. “Psh, I coulda figured that out…!”  
“Last time I help _you_ again,” Rouge jokes.

Throughout this, Buddy is right beside Silver, spraying at the Badniks and making little hops backwards to steer clear of their relentless approach. A large finger taps his shoulder, and a gruff voice snaps him from his liberating trance. “Switch your Wispon, rookie! You’re gonna need more power than what you got!”

“S-switch my… Wispon? Oh, r-right! Of course!” 

Buddy cranks the dial on his Wispon to the third setting as the word “CUBE!” echoes from within. In less than two seconds the weapon changes form, its red cannon-like shape morphing into a large blue hammer. Narrowing his eyes, Buddy hesitates little in swinging the hammer at an armored Egg Pawn, the contact causing the enemy to shatter into a collection of small blue cubes. The others continue their respective assaults on their attackers as Buddy attempts to swing and smash at his enemies, missing once or twice but occasionally landing a lucky blow. It isn’t long before they’re all swept up, and with the pawns defeated, the pulley on the bottom of the roof slowly descends.

Buddy is the first to latch on, letting out a yelp as it tugs him upwards, and the others soon follow. The progression from there is natural - they make their way through dark corridors, dispatching the security efficiently enough as they survive. All throughout, the young rookie fumbles in carrying out his work, occasionally whiffing a vital attack or maneuver, and as a result the remaining trio is left to pick up his slack. “Sorry, everyone…” was all he could say each and every time. Each and every time, the response from Silver was something like “Don’t worry about it.” Eventually he felt he had to say “sorry” for saying sorry.

“Psst... hey Rookie… wanna see something cool? Try swinging your Wispon at the ground,” Vector mutters with a half-grin, punching and chomping away a the swarm of Badniks.

“T-the ground…?” The wolf adjusts his glasses, slightly confused, but as more Pawns close in on him he decides to take a chance. When he swings his Wispon downwards, a shockwave emanates as the robots around him are crystallized to immobility. He’s silent for a moment, surprised at the outcome. To confirm its reality, the rookie taps lightly on a crystallized Egg Pawn. The cube-like prison promptly breaks down, and the Badnik contained within shatters along with it. “Woah, cool!”

“Hey, what’d I tell ya? For the armored guys, you probably wanna use that instead, alright? That should be better than swingin’ at them head-on.”

Buddy settles into the motions markedly well, smashing his hammer into the ground as his loyal allies clean up the immobilized. An inkling of genuine confidence coming to him, he steps ahead of the others as Espio speaks, now significantly closer to their perceived destination.

“I hear something. I suspect an energy generator is in the vicinity.”

“A generator?” Vector says. “Well… maybe it controls the power to the prison cells?”

“I had a similar idea. It’s possible, but not certain. We must account for everything.”

As they move forward below the dim red lights, several containment cells come into view from the side. Their gates are halfway open and they’re completely empty.

“Huh, looks like this place was used up until recently…” Vector says, grimacing.

“Yes, it appears many of our brethren were once held here.”

Silver shakes his head, a forlorn expression on his face. “That’s one more thing Eggman will answer for.”

Buddy shudders and says nothing, stopping in his tracks. A string of bad memories follows as he ponders the implications, and he nearly faints. As his eyes scan the empty chambers, he can hear a voice in his head, one that he tried desperately to forget up until now. The pressure comes, and he’s now strapped into a metaphorical chair of sorts. Forced to face the resurfacing of his repressed anxieties, the wolf tenses up, sick to his stomach. “I’m sorry,” he whispers, gazing into the flooring with fearful eyes.

“Hold it Espio, something’s up with the rookie!”

“Hmmh? Buddy, are you okay?”

“C’mon kid, snap out of it!”

A pair of arms jostle Buddy from his trance, shaking the wolf until he can regain his lost clarity. “Ah- what? Vector?”

“Who else! You alright? You seriously spaced out there!”

“Y-yeah… I’m fine, I didn’t mean to scare you!” The wolf places a hand to his forehead for a moment, pushing his glasses back up on his face. He returns to his stride as the others proceed, forcing those unpleasantries to the back of his head once again.

True to Espio’s deduction, they soon come across a door, which whirrs open to the side of them. Past the opening is a large room with a swirling power generator at the end and a switch right next to it, seemingly unguarded. Embedded on a gate on the side are two big letters - 3B.

“That’s definitely the switch to the prison containing Sonic. Careful everyone, it could be a trap!” Silver shouts.

“Could be, should be, would be,” Vector says, already taking steps towards the back of the room. “Of course it’s a trap! But I know it’s nothing the four of us can’t handle! Let’s just flip that switch and make things nice n’ easy!”

Vector is already halfway across the room when Espio suddenly kneels to the ground, lifting a hand. “Be still!” His face tightens as he senses the dangerous air.

“What’s up?”

Some seconds of silence pass as the ninja closes his eyes. His danger sense in full force, Espio turns to Buddy to open his mouth, speaking above a shout. “Move. Now!” he commands with piercing eyes.

Immediately following his order, a hatch opens above the party and a large gray Badnik drops down to make a swift split for the young rookie, who only widens his eyes in shock as broad, spiked arms zoom towards his face. A moment before impact, Vector twists around and snatches the rookie from the Badnik’s line of attack. Backing towards a wall, he moves to an aggressive position, keeping his broad body in front of the wolf like a shield. “C’mon, rookie - just stay behind me, alright? I’m not letting ya get hurt!”

Still shaken up, Buddy does just that, opting to remain behind Vector and holding his Wispon out with a tense expression. The Badnik’s optical scanners sweep the room as it charges again. Through the dim lights Silver can make out the markings on its torso. “It’s an E-Series! E-106 Eta! Vector, launch me at it!”

Silver lifts a hand to slow the hulking foe in its place as it breaks for Espio, but this only works momentarily as the machine’s endurance outlasts the hedgehog’s own. Speeding forward, it brings a spiked arm flying in his direction and finds itself making contact with little more than the air itself as the ninja vanishes from view.

“Ninja Leaf Swirl!” Powerful winds engulf the chameleon as he stealths himself to his frenzied opponent, now a ghost to his immediate surroundings. E-106 appears to stop for a moment as it scans the perimeter for its target, a series of beeps indicating it had picked up nothing.

Thinking quick, Vector grabs Silver as he rolls up into a ball, the hedgehog spinning rapidly and glowing in between the crocodile’s trap. As their opponent turns in Vector’s direction, he lets out a roar and opens his mouth, powerful jaws launching Silver like a fireball into the robot’s torso. It seems to dent the armor - but only barely. Silver bounces off harmlessly and slides across the ground on his return, nibbling his lip.

Vector smirks a little, impressed. “Oh man, looks like it’s tougher than we thought... Didya want me to shoot you at it again?”

“No, that won’t work… there’s no way we can get it like this!”

Marking a new target, the guard rockets in the direction of Vector and Buddy, and its assault is halted when Vector grabs one of the spiked arms lunging for his face, and then makes a hasty grab for other one, holding them back just a few inches from his body with a titan’s grip. The pistons within attempt to move the arms against Vector’s will - they plan to plunge the piercing spikes into his body, and so he growls as the inevitable is delayed.

“Hrgh… Then let’s see this joker try to take it from behind! Now, Espio!”

The air appears to twist and warp again, and from the cyclone of swirling winds comes a fired-up Espio. “Foolish!” With a leap he pulls out a series of shuriken, tossing them at the robot’s exposed rear with a fierce conviction. Unexpectedly, it swerves right around and lifts reinforced arms to block the attack, the projectiles bouncing off of its shell awkwardly.

Its back now exposed to Vector, the croc takes full advantage of that as he brings a hardy fist into its head, following up swiftly with another blow. “Forgot me already, did ya?” Vector snarks as he assaults his foe. Sticking behind him, Buddy contemplates lifting his Wispon to join in, but shakes a little under the sight of those dangerous girder-like arms.

The E-106, now caught between two targets, decides to take a third option. It backs away from the offense, only to be struck immediately with a large strip of steel. Sensors go out of whack as the E-106 hurriedly tries to lock onto its attacker, and it finds itself unable to make an approach on the hedgehog despite its wishes - its legs are encased in large blue cubes, as the rookie stands several feet away, spinning the Cube Wispon in his hand.

“Good thinking, rookie!” Silver shouts.

The rookie enjoys a whole five seconds of satisfaction until the cube casing shatters, proving ineffective. The enforcer’s legs are shown to have taken next to no damage as it returns to advancing towards its target. With a dejected sigh he speeds back to his place behind Vector, deciding it‘s better he just stick to observing.

From the robot’s movement, another steel strip comes soaring into its eye. And another. One by one a series of thin, needle-like steel bits zoom into the head and torso of the large machine, small scraplets of metal and screws flying out as its formerly frightening form is torn asunder. At the tail of the attack is Silver, who swings his hands towards it, his body glowing as metal is torn from the wall and sent in the enemy’s direction with the company of a mighty kiai. Buddy backs away and watches in awe as the youth keeps up his barrage, slowly but surely ripping sheets of metal from the chamber walls and fashioning them into precise weapons.

Remaining silent, Espio brandishes kunai before beginning his own assault from the opposite side, piercing steel needles and large knives tearing into the foe from all sides. With the E-Series in critical condition, Vector sees this as his cue. Leaping into the air, he lifts his hands in a fist above his head before dropping down on their opponent, bringing his entire weight into the strike as he smashes through the machine, it now in shambles. Buddy takes in the entire sight, his fear turned into astonishment and awe as he watched the trio work with such great coordination.

E-106 now lay battered in a crumpled mess on the floor, but its eyes still blink and glow as it shakes erratically, the fight having not left it just yet. Vector is just about to step in to finish the job before Silver lifts a hand. “Ah… why don’t we let Buddy finish this one?” he offers with a polite smile, as if he hadn’t just been eviscerating a robot’s head a minute earlier. “Go ahead, rookie!”

Still dazed by the intensity of events he witnessed, the youth waddles towards the vibrating pile on the ground and swaps his Wispon to Burst, tapping the trigger as the flames do their job in melting away whatever remained of their adversary. With a cheeky smile the wolf plants a foot on top of the melted pile and turns to Silver with a thumbs up, seemingly bloated with pride as the hedgehog returns the gesture. Though he smiled brightly, on the inside his stomach twisted in on itself, and he could only curse himself. He could just barely handle the regular guys, so the big guys made him useless. Useless was not a fun thing to feel. “Excellent work, everyone!” Silver’s well meaning words just felt like a kick while the wolf was down.

From there, Vector makes his way to the generator controls while Buddy still poses on top of the pile triumphantly, wishing someone had a camera so he can at least claim he did something.

“Whaddaya know? The switch doesn’t work! I had a feeling Eggman would dupe us like this.”

“He’s mistaken if he thinks we won’t find an alternative,” Espio replies.

“So do I just wanna smash the generator?”

“I wouldn’t advise it,” Silver says, stepping in front of Buddy. “Please try to be reasonable, Vector.”

Espio adds his own input. “Destroying the generator seems too obvious. It is possible that Eggman is prepared for this.”

“And if he is?” Vector grits his teeth as he nonchalantly brings a fist into the large machine, it responding with a crackle as the glowing energy fizzles out. Almost instantly everyone is caught off guard by the faint sound of sirens, blinking red lights and large steel doors closing up behind them. Espio turns to Vector with a disappointed expression before running ahead of the crew, the gate opening in front of him as they escape the power room.

Rouge cuts in. “Boys, they’re on high alert now! Keep the pace!”

“We can see that!” Vector shouts.

“T-try to exercise a little more caution in the future, please!” Silver says, mildly panicky.

“Hey, everybody makes bad calls from time to time! We  _ definitely _ weren’t gonna get anywhere with you chewin’ me out for everything I do!” Vector slows himself down a little, falling just behind the rookie as the sirens’ volume fades. Keeping their speed, the party hits a ramp, making great leaps across the hall as they talk above one another.

“What… I’m not chewing you out! You’ve just been hasty since we got out here, and putting pressure on the rookie!”

“‘Try to relax around the rookie’, ‘Be reasonable in front of the rookie’, ‘Let the rookie finish this’, that’s all I’m hearing! Momma Silver just ain't happy unless we’re all coddling the rookie, huh?”

“It’s not like that, Vector. He just needs a little encouragement from time to time. It’s not just enough to keep him safe. He needs to feel welcome while he’s with us.” Silver lowers his eyes, as if in thought, while they sprint down a curve.

“The kid’s gotta welcome himself! Knuckles put him in our squad for a reason, so either he’ll show us he belongs here or he won’t! We just gotta protect him and help him protect himself!”

“And what if we can’t protect him, because you made hasty decisions like just now? Or what if he won’t protect himself, because you’re making him feel bad for his mistakes?”

Vector is, for once, completely silent for all of five seconds before he mumbles, “Yeah, well praisin’ him for everything ain’t doing him any favors either…”

Silver sucks in his lips.

“Focus on our mission,” Espio commands. “Perhaps the two of you can organize your honeymoon at a later date.” At this, Vector and Silver turn away from each other with a grunt and a frown.

Buddy, who is running frantically behind the other three, tunes in and out of their discussion. He can make out a few sentences and what he does hear bums him out a little.  _ I don’t want them to fight over me, _ he thinks.  _ I’m dragging them down… Maybe I really was better off somewhere else… _

As he runs, he clutches tightly onto the Wispon in his hand, and ends up thinking back to when commander Knuckles let him into all this. The wolf frowned at remembering the words he said to the leader.  _ “I’m not as weak as you think I am, sir!” “I want to be important!” “They don’t know what I can do!” _

He almost regrets saying that last one, because then Knuckles started going on about how he was reminded of an old friend who said something similar, and he left the wolf with a killer of a question: “What  _ can _ you do?”

The fact that the rookie didn’t have an answer at the time was disheartening, but at the same time motivating. To him, that question meant joining the Resistance’s main squad was the perfect way to find his answer. And it seemed like Knuckles saw it the same way. He talked about how he had to be reminded that it was okay to take risks, and that soldiers are soldiers for a reason.  _ “Well, I guess you have to get experience somehow, right?”  _ Buddy fondly remembered him saying.

Buddy still had to find that answer, and with it, a chance to push back. Snapping back to reality with a smile on his face, the blaring of the sirens appears to quiet. They’ve been running for a while now as the gates close behind them, but unfortunately it seems the labyrinth of the prison leaves no escape in sight. Just then, the sirens and lights stop entirely as the gates hold their position behind them.

Vector squints an eye, slowing his speed. “I’m not complaining, but why’d the doors stop?”

“I sense something…” The tension wanes with the sound of the alarms, and the group slows to a halt when Espio freezes in his tracks. The chameleon’s following words put hopeful smiles on some very exhausted faces. “It’s Sonic’s presence… he’s close!”


	7. Zavok Attacks! Escape from the Egg Gate!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An old foe shows up to challenge Sonic; the hero makes his escape from his prison, catching up with longtime friends.

Within the laser-locked cells of Egg Gate 3B, Sonic sits and stews in silence. For almost all of his time here he’s been continuously tapping his foot on the steel flooring, the sound and motion almost like scratching an itch. The has-been hero has nothing to accompany him other than the full view of the prison, and it seems Eggman has designed it all specifically to taunt him - Sonic sees hundreds of cells facing his own, with assorted innocents held captive throughout. The guilt sits in his stomach like a rock, but he makes a point not to let it consume him. Upon looking through the plasma bars and seeing so many lives captured after such a defeat, most others could only say “I’m sorry”, or “Forgive me”. But as Sonic’s eyes fall upon each and every person in their cells, he doesn’t feel the need to apologize - in his mind he has already resolved to bring them all home.

So when the bars fizzle out and vanish abruptly, and the handcuffs soon follow, a smirk crosses his face for the first time in weeks. Standing up from his position, Sonic the Hedgehog does some stretches in place before walking into the center of the chamber with a faded smile. A siren begins to blare and he rubs his head in confusion. The other prisoners’ cells deactivate as well, but they don’t move to make their escape with Sonic. A young bird looks at Sonic with a fearful expression, which prompts him to respond. “Hey, why aren’t you guys moving? We’re free now!”

A low, booming voice echoes from the right of the blue blur, and he turns to the right to face the source, closing an eye as a grin spreads across his face. “Foolish hedgehog. They understand what it means to be here. Getting out of your chains does not make you free.”

“Oh, hey Zavok! You know, I remember beating you pretty badly... How’d you get here?”

“I got better,” Zavok says dryly before thrusting a fist in the hedgehog’s direction, missing the mark entirely as Sonic appears behind him. “Doctor Eggman has appointed me the warden of this little containment facility. I don’t know who let you out of your cell, but I consider it my mission to put you back.”

“Funny, I thought you were the type to make the orders, not follow ‘em! But hey, I’m not complaining - I don’t mind doing this dance again. Hope you’re cool with another loss on your record!”

The Zeti narrows his eyes and with the crack of his fists, he charges in with a fast swipe from his claws. Sonic shifts to the side and counters with a kick to the head and a toothy grin. From there he curls up into a ball with great determination, spinning around in place for a few seconds before letting loose as soon as Zavok gets to his feet. A blue orb of light smashes into the Zeti’s torso and sending him stumbling again. A clean hit! Sonic rolls back to a standing position and flicks his nose, his gaze turning cold. “I’ve got a _lot_ of payback to deliver, so if we could just make this quick…”

“Silence, fool. You only stand to face me now because _he_ allowed it. The doctor’s vision will soon become reality, and once you see where your hubris has taken you, we can finally dispose of you like the vermin you are.” Zavok shoots his hand forward as a barrage of fireballs launch from his palms. Moving into a sprint, Sonic swerves around each one to deliver another kick as he nears his foe. A large arm manages to grab Sonic’s foot and slam him into the steel flooring, and in response he shifts to a quick spin to make his escape.

“Uh, rude! Look, urgh… I don’t know if you got the memo before, but he’s tried it. He’s tried it all before. Eggmanland, Eggman Empire… it’s the Eggman Empire this time, right?” Sonic’s reflexes kick into overdrive as he dodges another array of fireballs in an impressive manner. “Anyway, he has this tendency to totally fail, so I’m not worried about whatever scheme his rotten brain boiled up.”

“You should turn your worries in on _yourself_ , hedgehog. Have you forgotten how long you’d been in captivity?” Zavok musters up something resembling a laugh as he shoots a barrage of fireballs straight on before following up with a brutish, charging tackle. Sonic swerves the projectiles again but is caught off as he finds himself unable to react fast enough to the enemy’s nearing assault. He rolls back, coughing a little. “Doctor Eggman has made great progress since your capture.”

The weakened hero stumbles to a kneel before his spirit is shattered by a hard punch to the face from the Zeti as he rolls backwards. He tumbles pathetically along the floor while Zavok leaps in the air, spreading himself out and stiffening like a statue. Zavok soon drops to the ground, the resulting shockwave sending the hedgehog into the air. Gasps are heard from the crowd of inmates as Sonic’s opponent jumps in his direction again, plotting to smash him back towards the ground and extinguish his remaining hope. “Fool! I’ll make sure you’ll never run again!”

Sonic’s composure comes to him and he responds by curling up into a ball, an aura of energy surrounding him as he counters with a spin attack, homing in on his target with frightening precision. Zavok tanks the hit with a growl as Sonic keeps up his pursuit, charging up energy again and following his opponent to the ground. Marking the Zeti’s face as his target, he spins in on his opponent only to bounce off of a red fist. Undeterred, Sonic tries it again. And again. He becomes desperate as he continues to spin into the Zeti, repelled by the brute’s strong fists each and every time. A frustrated sigh escapes his mouth. Bouncing some distance away from his enemy, he finally unfurls as he stands to his feet.

“Psh, you’re pretty lousy at your job, huh?” Sonic quips.

“How does it feel knowing you’ve failed yours?” Larger orbs of fire blast forward in Sonic’s direction. The Zeti sets another trap for him this way, looking to topple him once more while he’s occupied. Sonic grits his teeth, trying his hardest to shrug off his enemy’s taunts and hold to the situation. _There’s too many for me to dodge safely… unless...!_ As a fireball nears the hedgehog, he seemingly abandons reason as he sprints towards it. A quick hop in the air soon follows. _It’s been a while, but here goes nothing!_ Curling into a ball, he begins to rapidly spin as the orb of flame is an inch away from torching him. A fine bubble of wind forms around his body, deflecting the fireball back at its attacker as the point of impact goes up in a small explosion. With his strength restored, he repeats this for the other two blasts, a second of razor-sharp repelling winds being all he needs to deal with this previously intimidating attack.

“If you ask me, it’s way too early to make that call. I’m still running, right? I know just that much!” the blue hero says with a cheeky grin, rushing in to finish the job. Zavok emerges from the explosion unscathed and fuming. He tries to drive a fist into Sonic, who retaliates with a kick, and from there they break into a frenzy of swift exchanges. Sonic’s speedy kicks connect with the strength behind Zavok’s punches, and from here it becomes a brawl of sheer resolve.

“You know nothing, hedgehog! Your legs can only take you so far! For all your time in confinement, do you even know where this facility is located?” Sonic slips a little and takes a punch to the side of the face before blocking the follow-up. “Your absence has allowed fate to skew against you. You know little of how the world has become!”

Sonic is left open to another strike, his flurry of kicks slowing in speed. Narrowing his eyes, he picks things up and delivers an intense barrage unto the Zeti, sweeping powerful kicks and spinning attacks left and right with no room for retaliation. With the unexpected brutality of the maneuvers, it seems a tranquil fury is seeping through in every single hit. This rush of attacks continues on for roughly half a minute before Sonic settles down, staring his foe in the eyes. Zavok speaks slowly, battered and bruised.

“By defeating me you will come back to a world you’ve never known, a world you have no experience in fixing - one that has already crumbled without you. There is no better option than to stay up here and accept the inevitable.” The beaten Zeti growls as he collapses to the ground, still speaking in between breaths. Sonic strikes him with a falling kick again before stepping back.

“...To be ignorant is to take action without knowledge of the consequences. To willingly charge headlong into defeat tells me you’ve far surpassed mere ignorance, little hedgehog. A fool you will remain.” Zavok lets out a grunt as he goes limp, and in seconds his body fades from view in a blur of crimson. Sonic is silent for a rare moment, stewing in his opponent’s words longer than he would have liked. With a sigh he turns to the prisoners.

“Huh, I guess I hadn’t considered that you guys don’t really have an easy escape carved out for you…”

He closes his eyes for a moment in mild contemplation and then opens them, the prisoners’ attention all focused on him.

“I want… everyone to hang in there, alright? I’ll come back for you all before you know it! Promise…!” For a moment, Sonic wonders if they can hear the doubt in his voice. For a moment, Sonic wonders why he’s doubting himself to begin with. It’s annoying. He begins to laugh, showcasing that ever-recognizable smirk of his. “Hah, yeah, I’ll get you out of here before Eggman can say a thing,” he reiterates, as if to assure himself. “You can all count on that!”

And so with a grimace he hops and sprints for the exit as the remainder sit in their cells, some more hopeful than others.

* * *

 

The blaring sirens and flashing red lights accompany the blue hedgehog as he sprints down the hall, the ceiling dropping behind him and threatening to flatten him at the slightest misstep. Keeping a steady pace and a forward gaze, he sees multiple gates slowly closing in the distance. A computerized voice speaks above the sirens. “Emergency. Sonic the Hedgehog has escaped from Egg Gate 3-B. High Alert.” Running towards a spring, Sonic launches himself forward as they slam shut behind him. He gets his first glimpse of the world outside his little prison, and his eyes widen at what he sees.

“We were… off planet? I guess anyone who crosses Eggman gets a one-way trip to space.” He falters for a moment as he plops down on a rail, grinding along it as comfortably as ever. The sight, even as someone used to navigating bases like these, is surreal for the young hero - from a floating planetoid sprouts an extensive fortress, littered with Badniks and other machinery. In the distance he can make out ships and other similarly-constructed outposts. Sonic is astonished, but a part of him is genuinely fearful. He hadn’t expected any of this. He didn’t know _what_ to expect. He can only think about how he’s going to clean all this up later.

Leaping off of the rail he sees an array of Badniks and bounces across them, careful not to look at the abyss of space below him. Hitting another spring he has to dash through another corridor of crushing ceilings, the tension upon him now with this startling revelation. Turrets on the walls appear to glow, firing blasts of energy in his direction from afar. Sonic is swift in maneuvering this dangerous field, skidding underneath the lasers and hopping the orbs during his sprint. Suddenly, an array of boxes. Putting on the heat, a blue field surrounds Sonic as he blitzes right through them, flying fantastically out into the open field and making his way across another rail. Skidding the rail, he has to jump as a flying Egg Pawn attempts to sweep him with a large laser. Sonic curls into a ball and crashes into the pawn effortlessly before neatly landing back onto the rail. In front of him lies a very familiar sight.

“...So this is all part of the Death Egg! That big ball of scrap just won’t stay destroyed. Hmph, alright... I’ll get out of here in no time!” Making contact with another spring, Sonic is sent running again through a corridor designed to lock him down. Blasts of energy speed in his direction as he maneuvers around them with remarkable agility. When he sprints, he shows no signs of stopping, but this changes once he hears Dr. Eggman’s voice being transmitted through the dark halls. An assortment of screens pop up from the walls, revealing the doctor’s grinning face.

“Enjoying the jog, Sonic? I had a feeling you’d find your way out sooner or later, because hey, an evil genius can only do so much, right?”

Sonic doesn’t say a word, instead intent on making sure the slamming ceilings don’t squash him flat. His eyes only look straight forward, at the opening in the distance that would allow him his freedom.

“Now, what kind of person would I be if I didn’t catch you up after your splendid prison vacation? During your cozy little nap in the Egg Carrier, I had a chamber designed for you and any other unrulies. The place you were locked up in is only a piece of the full puzzle, which is what you just saw - the Death Egg Sigma!”

Another burst of energy is launched in Sonic’s direction. Though he attempts to clear it, he’s hit in the leg, stumbling to a stop. A crusher comes down and is close to flattening him before he performs an evasive somersault, slowly progressing back into a run.

“It’s the absolute latest _and_ greatest in space-based defenses! G.U.N. can only _dream_ of holding a candle to what my brilliant mind is capable of! Of course, it wasn’t without help.”

Sonic purses his lips. “...The clown with the mask, right?”

“Yes, yes, the one who made you a failure, the one who made you powerless, the one who defeated both you _and_ your clever little fox friend! Impressive, isn’t he?”

The hedgehog boosts forward again, tearing through another set of boxes as they push to block his path. “I... wait a minute… _Tails?!_ ” Sonic begins to accelerate down the hall at a maddening rate, lowering his eyes. “What’d you do to Tails?” he shouts.

Eggman laughs, the corridor seeming to narrow as Sonic gets closer to the end, more flying Badniks popping up to assault him. “Nothing the fox didn’t bring upon himself! It seems he just didn’t get the memo when he saw you being taken away. The child’s probably stranded somewhere, crying for his hero - as I suspected, he can’t do a thing without you, now!”

Sonic grits his teeth, rolling up as waves of razor-like winds slice through the foes. He clenches his fists a little as he transitions seamlessly until a run. “You’ve done such _great work_ _,_  Eggman…” he says, an ounce of vitriol in his voice. “When I get out of here, I’m going to reward you the only way I know how: With a good old-fashioned _scrambling!”_

“Ohoho! I’d like to see you follow up on those words, rodent. The world’s changed quite a bit since your hilariously pitiful defeat.” He pauses for a moment. “It seems like your escape is thanks to some very good friends who are looking for you as we speak!”

The hedgehog’s eyes widen a little. _Friends? Looking for me?_

“Well, I’m not above being generous, so I guess it was about time I throw them this single bone. Something told me the gates weren’t fast enough for you anyways,” he grumbles. “If you make it out alive, I’ll leave the world’s finer details open for you to figure out - think of it like a big box of surprises just waiting to be opened! Till next time, Sonic! If there ever _is one!_  Ohohoho!” A loud beep and Eggman’s voice cuts out, replaced by Sonic’s own stirring thoughts. Reaching the end of the hall at last, Sonic hits another spring, curling into a ball as he spins through a few stray asteroids. Colliding with another spring, he builds up speed as he soars through the air, stuck firmly on the task ahead. As he drops he slides along one more rail, trying his best to divert his thoughts elsewhere from Eggman’s words.

“Alright, so I know I can’t swim out in space… so maybe I could grab a shuttle? The one I came in on must be around here somewhere…” His contemplative state is shattered as winged ships chase him from behind, one very nearly knocking him off of the rail as he rides it. Crouching low, he hops off of the rail and homes in on one of the ships, keeping a grip on its top of it as it twists. For a moment it rolls erratically in an attempt to toss Sonic off, but after a few seconds of trying it just proceeds forward.

“They said I was in 3-B, right? Call it a hunch but… maybe I’ll find my answers if I try one letter up. 3-A!” The air rushing against his face, Sonic looks around until he spots the facility with the markings “3-A” on it. Another ship flies by and he hops towards it, steadily making his approach. A laser fires at the previous ship as it goes up in flames. The ammunition comes from the Death Egg itself, which fires a barrage of lasers in an attempt to displace Sonic. Looking ahead, Sonic notes an approaching squadron of fighters, and hops on top of the leader right before he’s shot at. The squadron flies towards the Death Egg but soon twists around, all the while Sonic attempts to avoid the swarm of laserfire. Seeing a rail, he dashes towards it and rides up into Egg Gate 3-A, accelerating down the winding hall as his worries start to drown out the piercing alarms. As he passes a doorway, he slows down and backs up, peering into it. He is met with an energy generator, seemingly unguarded in the room.

“Yeah, let’s _not_ do this,” he says as he spins into the generator, denting it up beyond any foreseeable repair. Once he does that, the sirens in the area become dead silent. However, as a direct consequence of his actions, an E-106 Eta robot drops from above to face him.

“Hey, didn’t think Eggman still used you guys! Alright, I guess it’s been a while since I’ve _really_ busted up a bot, huh?” The Eta quickly attempts to pin him with its spiked arms, but only hits an afterimage, unable to keep up with the hedgehog’s speed. The room is a little small, but Sonic makes it work, sprinting from corner to corner as he accelerates. Eta rotates for a moment and then locks up in confusion, unable to track its speedy target. Sonic takes this time to build up momentum, a wide grin on his face. When he believes he’s picked up enough speed, he stops at a corner for about half a second before launching himself off of the wall head-first, rolling into a ball on the way to his target.

 _Gotcha!_ E-106 rotates to face him but is too late to react as Sonic busts straight through its torso. When he comes out the other side, he’s juggling a glowing cylindrical container in his hand, smirking. “Sorry big guy! I wish I could tell the Doc you put up a good fight,” Sonic says, dropping the green Chaos Drive. “But uh… it’s not good to lie. You were a good warm-up, at least!”

The super-Badnik’s eyes dim and fade, and it slumps to the floor, almost as if disappointed in its ability to halt the hedgehog. Sonic wipes the sweat from his face and steps out, the security now disabled. He makes his way through the opened gate and runs down the corridors with a grin, stopping at the sight of a bespectacled red wolf and a series of armored Egg Pawns that drop just behind him.

“Woah, behind you!” Sonic charges in, bouncing upon the enemies and destroying them effortlessly. When he steps into view, he can see three other familiar faces, who turn around at the sound of his voice. The wolf jumps and turns around, eyes sparkling at the sight of his savior.

Silver, Vector, and Espio are all speechless.

“Sonic...? Is that really you?”

“Heh, why wouldn’t it be?” Sonic rubs the back of his head, grinning. Just seeing their faces is immensely relieving to him. “Cool to see you again, Silver! How’s the future?”

“T-that’s great! It really has been a while,” Silver says, smiling. “And uh… well, the future… that’s actually kind of why I’m here.”

Sonic bites his lip and simply nods in affirmation before turning to Vector. “And Vex! Been a while, huh? What’s up?”

“Psh, you know me! Work at the agency’s been kinda slow, and I gotta admit being out and about isn’t as exciting without your spiny behind running around! We were struggling with the security here until all the alarms just stopped! What’s up with that?”

“Oh, that? I just saw a power generator a few halls down from here and so I just-”

“Smashed it?” Vector cuts in.

“Hah, bingo!”

Sonic holds his hand out for a fist bump and the crocodile happily returns it, flashing Silver a cheesy grin. “Hey, great minds think alike!”

Silver places a hand on his face and breaks into a cathartic chuckle.

“Greetings, Sonic. It is good to see you again.”

“I could just as easily say the same, Esp! Ninja training going well? I wanna see how fast you’ve gotten!”

Espio cracks a faint smile, rolling his eyes to the side. “It… progresses, yes. I would enjoy providing a demonstration of my abilities to you in the future.”

“Hey, I look forward to it!”

Sonic then turns to the red wolf in the side of the room, who has been staring at him the entire time with wide, sparkling eyes. “And you…! What’s your name, pal?”

“B-Buddy… Mister Sonic, sir.”

“Well, it’s awesome to meet you, Buddy! And hey, you don’t need to add that ‘Mister’ stuff. It’s just Sonic! Sonic the Hedgehog!”

Buddy nods as a smile crosses his face. “R-right… it’s nice to meet you too, Sonic!”

“Hah, there we go! See, that sounds _way_ better. Formalities are gross.”

Silver presses his palms together and nods. “Buddy here is our rookie, who volunteered to help us rescue you. It’s great that everything worked out the way it did.”

“Volunteered?” Sonic turns to face him again, beaming wide as he places a hand on Silver’s shoulder, and another one on Espio’s. “You know, I’ve been through some crazy stuff with these guys around. There aren’t many who can do what they do. I think that’s pretty cool of you!”

The wolf pushes his glasses up on his face and nods, bashful. “Ah, t-thank you!”

Sonic chuckles and turns to Silver, speaking in a lower voice. “There’s actually a _lot_ of other guys up here besides me. I wanted to rescue them but uh… there wasn’t really a nice way to round them up and leave from where I was.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Silver says, placing a fist in his hand. “We’ve got plenty of resources back at Resistance HQ, so we’ll be able to approach that later.”

“HQ, huh? Sounds like you guys really had your work cut out for you!” Sonic turns to get a better look at everyone and can only grin brightly, shaking his head. “Heh, well, I can’t tell you guys how much I appreciate this. It’s been a while since I’ve seen so many friendly faces.”

“Well we like ya, Sonic! And we can’t do this without you, y’know!” Vector wraps an arm around Sonic and pulls him close, grinning wide. Sonic chuckles in response, closing his eyes.

“I got to hear Eggman while I was trying to break out of here. He says the world’s… different now. Different than it was when I first got captured.”

Espio nods. “Different is correct. Eggman currently has over 90% of the world under his control.”

This news hits Sonic harder than he expected. He’s surprised, confused, and a third feeling that he doesn’t want to think about. Still, he puts on a straight face and grins. “Hah, ninety percent? I’m a whole package, you know! I’ll just take care of this like I always have,” he says, flicking his nose. “Then we can knock it down to zero!”

“Only one individual could possess such overconfidence and arrogance,” Espio says, closing an eye. “My senses do not fail me, this is indeed Sonic the Hedgehog.”

“Aw, shut up,” Sonic mutters, playfully hitting the chameleon in the arm and laughing. “Well, let’s get out of here before more of those robots show up. All that gross prison food leaves a guy hungry for a chili dog!”

Buddy merely looks on with a grin. He stares dreamily, with little to say but plenty to think. Sonic is exactly who he expected, and then some. His very presence is already extremely comforting to the anxious wolf. His trance is broken when he hears a beep in his ear. Knuckles’ voice comes in clearly. “Hey rookie, you still in one piece?”

“Y-yeah… I’m fine!”

The commander’s tone becomes more stern. “I could have had Silver pull you out any time you wanted. I know this is a lot for anyone to handle, even in a group.”

“Yeah, I know. But... that’d be giving up, right?”

“Heh! So you’ve still got plenty to prove to your great commander, huh?”

“Well, not just to you, but to the others. And to m-myself!”

Sitting back in HQ, a smile spreads across Knuckles’ visage. “...That sounds good, Buddy. I don’t want you to get too hasty, but that attitude will get you far. I’ll have Rouge guide you guys towards an extraction point. Take a rest when you can, alright? You deserve it.”


End file.
